Appearances Darlin', are Everything
by Vivian Tanner
Summary: The boys have Ezra out of Maude's reach for a while. Buck and Vin get a deeper view of their fancy dressed companion. How much do they really know about Ezra, what kind of childhood did he truly have? How much can they really help? Chap XI is here, enjoy!
1. Epilogue

**Title: **Appearances Darlin', are Everything

**Author:** Vivian Tanner

**Rating: **T

**Summary: **_Maude makes another visit to the lovely hamlet of Four Corners. . . Once again her parenting skills are brought into question. This time, however, Ezra is drunk in the saloon and all of the boys are there to hear. What will they think of their gambler friend now? What will they think about Maude? Will Ezra learn he finally has a real home, and family?_

**Disclaimer: **Don't own these boys or their friends and family, wish I did, but a lass I do not. Just thought I'd take them out for a ride or two or three. I promise to return them to their rightful owners unharmed.

Appearances Darlin', are Everything

_Epilogue_

"_R-raised me? Did you say raised me? Come on, now, mother. You didn't raise me as well as, uh . . . as a stray cat raises a litter. You-you dumped me. Remember? At every aunt and uncle's house you could find. Unless, of course, you needed me . . . for a con."_

The day her boy had said those words still rang clearly in her memories . . . the site of those emerald green eyes growing wet with tears, it had been too much, the feelings of her poor boy to strong. So Maude had handled it like she always did, she yelled at him, pushed him away, made him feel small and then left him behind. Sure she had come back, but only to try and make him see how soft he was getting in that town. Now with the whole issue of the Standish Tavern between them she felt she needed to free Ezra of that dust bowl of a town even more. He was getting attached, to that town, to those men, to that . . . JOB!!!! No sir, she needed to put an end to this, and soon.

"Oh, Ezra, are you ever going to see I did the best I could? Lord, I was so hurt when you said that . . . do you not realize what I have done for you? The sacrifices I have made for your childhood? The life I could have lived, if I hadn't cared for you so?" Maude spoke out loud to herself, not caring about the looks she received from the other passengers. "This time, things will be different; I'll show you how much you need me. I'll make sure you see how that town is ruining you. Why it's a waste of your god giving talents! You'll see, this time I'll make sure you know what it has cost me to care for you. . . . or my name is not Maude Standish!!"

As the stage thundered across the landscape towards its next stop, Maude began to plan the most important con of her career . . . the con to make Ezra P. Standish realize he still needed his mother. No, that he still owed his mother and it was time to pay up. _Really honey, did I not teach you that nothing in this world is free . . . maybe it's time for another lesson._

**A/N: **So what do you think? Should I keep going? Loved or loathed it let me know.


	2. Chapter I

**A/N: **If you are a great fan of Maude Standish, you may not want to continue with this story. Sorry to say it does not paint her in a good light, and I decided to just let the boys have some fun.

Appearances Darlin', are Everything

_Part I_

"So there I was, with that gun in my side and the ugliest bank robber I have ever laid eyes on-"

"I highly doubt that the gentleman in question is the least attractive villain you have made the acquaintance of," came the interruption, delivered in that soft southern drawl that seemed to be a natural fixture to the Seven's favorite saloon. You could rarely visit the saloon without the sound of that voice reaching your ear at some point in your day there.

"Ah, come on Ez, let Buck finish his story," whined of the team's youngest member, JD Dunne, as he once again proved his right to that title.

_Not hard to see why the others still treat Mr. Dunne like a child, I wonder if he will ever see why for himself, _Ezra thought to himself while he examined his youngest friend. True he himself was not much older than JD or Vin Tanner for that matter, but there was something about the way he and the tracker carried themselves that made them seem older by years.

"Amen to that! Really Brother Ezra, Buck's tale was just getting good."

Seeing that he was out numbered, the town's resident gambler simply nodded his head to the lady's man, wishing him to continue his story telling. _If they really must know, I can't allow them to suffer. At least Mr. Wilmington wishes to tell the tale._

Buck and Ezra had been asked to take a prisoner to Eagle Bend, a simple enough trip. Of course, as things often go for the seven peacekeepers of Four Corners, the trip was anything but simple. The two lawmen had just dropped off their package, and were deciding between heading straight back to Four Corners that night or getting a room at the hotel and heading back the next morning.

It was just then that the answer was made for them when shots rang out from the town's bank. The following events, from Buck's point of view, included some shots being fired, words exchanged (mostly by Ezra), and a plan created for Buck to replace the hostages as the robbers left town. It was decided by the would-be robbers that the lawman was a better hostage then the ones they currently held, to bad they truly believed this fact. This placed Buck in danger and in a better position to act, freed the innocent town's people thus clearing the way for the lawmen to take out the robbers, and brought the seven peacekeepers to their current position. They were relaxing around their table, sharing a couple of bottles of whiskey, and listening to Buck's retelling of the pair's adventure, with a few insights by Ezra, when he felt that the story teller was forgetting or changing important facts. This actual action was not happening as much as Buck was hoping it would though.

"Why thank you Mr. Standish." Buck loved the attention he was getting from this, not so much though as the joy he was getting from watching Ezra squirm from the attention he was receiving. _That boy ain't been himself for weeks now, I had hoped the trip to Eagle Bend would have helped,_ "Like I was saying, there I was-"

"Ah, hell!"

"Ezra! Would ya shut up and let me-!" _Well what's he looking at?_

Every eye at the table turned to their southern friend, he had once again interrupted, and in a manner quit unlike himself. When the other six saw his appearance however, all of their attention shifted to the sight out front of the saloon window that seemed to be drawling Ezra's attention, and causing his current condition. There in the street sat the noon stage, and there in the street next to it, directing the unloading of her '_fine French leather_' luggage was none other than Maude Standish. The six friends began forming reasons in their minds as to why she could be here. The last time Maude had passed through they had watched, and in some cases, helped her destroy Ezra's dream of owning a saloon. The men could only imagine what she wanted now.

"Could this week get any better?" Ezra asked no one in particular, though Josiah saw the young man's eyes aim towards the heavens for a second. "Well, if you gentlemen will excuse me . . . it appears I must go play the role of a good son for a moment." With this said the conman gracefully vacated his spot, picking up his hat from the table and existing the saloon just moments latter. _I told her no in my letter, so why is she here I wonder._

"Do you guys think Ez knows he looks like a man heading to the gallows the way he's walking?" JD questioned, his eyes searching the table for an answer. Though the others still treated him like a kid, he was observant enough to know something was bothering the southern. Now JD hoped someone else in the group knew what, from the way the other five were watching their friend though he was beginning to think he wasn't the only one in the dark here.

"Reckon he does," the group's soft spoken tracker chimed in, "Seeing as he's the one always sayin' _Appearances are everything_. Think its best iffen we go help him out." This last comment was said as Vin and Chris both began to get up from the table to follow Ezra out of the saloon. The action drawing curious glances from the remaining four lawmen, as well as from Inez, who had joined the men in watching their friend.

"Why?" Buck asked, turning to glance outside. Hoping to see what was causing his friends to want to get involved in another man's personal business, men who liked their privacy so much they were always sure to leave others alone too their own as well. The sight that greeted his gaze made his blood run cold. The other four regulators were on their feet and heading for the door before their brains could truly comprehend just what they were seeing.

As Josiah reached the batwing doors to follow his brothers outside he heard Inez mumble something. "I'm sorry child, what did you say?"

"Oh, Senior, I did not mean to bother you," however from the way the Spanish bartender was twitching Josiah could tell whatever she had said was in her mind important. "I simply wondered if this has anything to do with the letter Senior Standish received from that woman a few weeks ago. It seemed to upset him at the time."

"Do you know what it was about?" _Most likely not, Ezra is far too private of a person, but I can try._

"No Senior, I only know he wrote his reply that night so it could leave on the morning stage." With this said Inez deemed the discussion closed as she went to clear off some dirty tables.

_Have to tell Chris about this, see what he wants to do. Hope this doesn't mean troubles coming, things had been mighty nice around here lately. _Has the preacher turned to follow his friends outside on final thought crossed his mind, _I wonder why Inez referred to Maude as 'that woman.' _Just another thing to check later, right now he and the others needed to get outside and deal with what they were witnessing.

There, standing in the middle of the town, was their poker face conman, only on his face was not the blank features they were use to . . . No, there stood a man with tears in his eyes, a man who was on the verge of an emotional display of unheard of proportions, one they were sure he would regret anyone in the town viewing. There stood a man in need of his friends . . . his brothers.

**A/N: **So how do we feel? What's this letter about? Why's Maude in town? What's up with Inez? Will Buck get to finish his story? Let me know if you want the answers or should I quite writing now, and go back to my day job.


	3. Chapter II

Appearances Darlin', are Everything

_Part II_

"Why Mr. Sanchez, gentlemen, how lovely to see you all in such good health, Ezra and I were just about to depart to the hotel . . . So, if you will excuse us." The smile Maude flashed the six newcomers would most likely have charmed a snake, to bad these were Ezra's friends, not snakes, and only one of them was even looking in her direction, the remaining five set of eyes were watching the play of emotions on the face of their gambler. They could tell Ezra was trying to hide behind his poker face, there seemed to be too many emotions though for him to control.

"I am sorry mother, but I'm afraid I can not join you for lunch . . . I was actually on my way to . . . to the livery when I saw you disembark from the stage. Um, perhaps one of these fine gentlemen will be able to assist you in reaching the hotel." The last sentence was joined with the first eye contact Ezra had made with his comrades since departing the saloon. _Please don't question me; just let me get away from here. I know I will have to explain later but I must flee right now, or regret what may happen. _"You see I must begin my turn at patrol." Ezra slowly began to turn away, hoping his comrades would let him go unquestioned, no such luck.

"But Ez, I thought-" JD started, having not seen the pleading look in the rouge's eyes, since the young sheriff had been keeping a watch on Mrs. Standish. _Boy she looks upset, I wonder what happened._

"That I would likely try to weasel out of my duty, using my mother as an excuse . . . well gentlemen I'm afraid that you will not be able to use today against me later on down the road. Mother, do have a wonderful evening." With his trademark gold flecked smile and a tip of his hat, Ezra began his walk across town to the livery. Perhaps a bit faster than usual, but nothing anyone would notice. _I hope._

Now a casual observer would have seen nothing amiss with this exchange. After Ezra's departure they would have seen Maude take Josiah's offered arm with a smile; Buck and JD grab the language laying nearby, while Nathan said farewell to the group before heading to his clinic, and Chris and Vin leaving on different paths without so much as a word from either of them.

Now the more observant watcher would have seen a few signs that all was not well with this group and this is the observer one should probable go with. This observer would have seen the frown that crossed the preacher's face before he took Maude's arm; the eye rolling of Buck and JD prior to picking up the luggage, this observer would have noticed the sympathetic smile from Nathan to his friends as he departed. They would have seen the silent conversation that occurred between the group's ominous leader and silent tracker before they went their separate ways; one of the two peacekeepers heading back to the saloon to finish his drink from earlier, and the other to the livery to check on a brother who was in some obvious need of an ear to talk to. You see Vin Tanner is an observant watcher and he noticed a few more things that no one else had . . . the stiff gait that had carried the gambler away from the group, the fact that Ezra ignored everyone he passed on the way to his destination, and the look in those emerald depths that had beg to be helped when the rest of his body managed to hide his fear.

"Yup, something's wrong with him, reckon I should go and try to find out what," the ex-bounty hunter mumbled to himself. He'd come to think of these men as his friends . . . his family . . . the brothers he'd always wanted, and it hurt him to see them in pain. It was obvious to Vin that something was wrong with the conman for two simple reasons. Ezra was a master of his poker face, the tracker had seen that man get shot and show no sign of anything being wrong. Emotions as far as Ezra was concerned were a weakness, so for him to have shown so many in the last two minutes something had to be wrong. Secondly, Buck and Ezra had both been given the next few days off to recover from the delivery run, Chris had the next patrol, for the conman to be taken on the extra work was unheard of. The only thing Vin could think was that the gambler needed to get out of town and needed an excuse to do so, but why?

"Yup, something is eatin' at him; I just hope he feels like talkin'." Vin made his way to the livery door just in time to see Chaucer heading out the back with a flash of red on his back. Everyone knew how good of a rider Ezra was, Vin had no doubt if Ezra truly wanted to run there would be little he could do to stop him. _Well didn't think this would be easy, dame he wants to get away fast_, he thought as the chestnut gelding disappeared over the hill. Ezra had to be running Chaucer full out to be making that good of time in eating up the distance.

"Well Peso we better get goin' if we plan on . . . well at least I know he won't be mad about us following," Vin said with a smile, with a look to Peso's stale he saw that before leaving Ezra had saddled up his horse for him, the gambler wanted him to follow. Vin felt a bit of pride in knowing that Ezra finally saw him as a friend, for only a friend would follow to check on him. By saddling up Peso Ezra had stated clearly that he knew Vin would follow, that he trusted Vin to do just that . . . that he wanted Vin to follow. "Come on boy let's get after him." _Need to show him he has a friend, that he placed his trust in the right guy._

**A/N: **Wow, so much drama! What do we think? Are you guys still interested, or have I lost you? Good or bad, please let me know.


	4. Chapter III

**A/N:** Thanks for all of the reviews. I'm glad to see that my story telling is doing justice to these boys.

Appearances Darlin', are Everything

_Part III_

_Alright, that's enough of this, iffen I don't get him talking we'll be here forever. _"So are ya gonna talk about it or are we goin' to just ride around in circles all afternoon?" Vin asked after about two hours of silent riding with his fellow regulator. Continuous silence was something the ex-bounty hunter had come to live with; truth was Tanner felt more at home in the silence of nature one would find out in the wilderness than the noises of civilization that come with living in a town. The problem Vin had with it today was that it was not normal for his riding companion, usually when he rode with the gambler they would talk the whole time about all sorts of stuff, books that Ezra had read, places he had visited, or Vin would tell him about the various tribes he had meet in his travels.

Vin glanced to the side, finally catching the emerald green eyes of his friend, eyes that usually were full of mischief, humor, or some other unexplainable emotion. Sure it was not uncommon to see those eyes twinkle with amusement from time to time, like during a poker game or while the two of them planned a prank on one the others or they could hold a glint of anger and fear when caught in a fight, but the tracker had never seen them hold the sorrow or pain he was looking into now. People in town, the ones who really did not know the conman, said he was an emotionless, heartless man, but the other six lawmen had realized long ago that to see what was truly troubling their friend all one had to do was search his eyes, Ezra maybe able to keep emotions from showing on his face, but he could not control those eyes. Right now, looking in those eyes, it was as if Vin was watching the soul of his friend suffer through those green orbs, it was something he prayed he could help his friend with and never see again.

So far it had been an easy ride, once Ezra had reached one of the Seven's usual patrol routes he had let Chaucer slow to a steady walk which allowed Vin to catch up and fall in step beside him with no real work on Peso's part. Since then the gambler had said nothing and had avoided all attempts by the Texan at eye contact, Ezra simply kept staring off into the horizon letting Chaucer find his own way along the trail. Vin was starting to wonder about his friend due to the gambler's actions, he began to think that things weren't as bad as they had seemed in the street out front of the saloon. _Maybe we just over reacted; the man could simply want some time to himself. _The tracker had started to contemplate heading back in allowing the gambler his privacy but after seeing the raw emotion in those usually calm eyes Vin realized he wasn't over reacting, something was truly wrong with his comrade.

"Come on Ez, let's head back to town. I'll buy ya a drink, and then you can win my week's wages from me." The last part was said in jest, Vin knew the rouge liked to win, but Ezra would never leave a friend without some money when they left his table. Vin began turning Peso back towards Four Corners, hoping that Chaucer would soon follow. _I just need to get him back to town, and then I'll have the boys to back me up. _"I heard JD say that Buck's got a little cash saved away, maybe we can get him in the game, get him ta finish his story 'bout yer trip, that's iffen you don't want to finish it"

After a few moments of silence Vin realized that Ezra had not turned to follow, in fact the gambler wasn't moving at all. Chaucer stood frozen where Vin had first mentioned heading back, it never ceased to amaze the Texan how well that horse could read his man's emotional state, like right now, Chaucer was sensing his rider's fear and was reacting to it in the same manner Ezra was. In the saddle Ezra was sitting as still as a statue looking towards town, the only visible movement was a shaken of his head, and the movement of his mouth as he spoke a jumble of barley audible words, in a hushed voice. "No . . . I c-can't go back . . . not y-yet . . . mother . . . mother will still be up . . . I'm s-sorry Vin . . . I . . . I just can't."

The half sobbed whisper tore at Vin's heart, what had that woman had done in those few minutes to do this to Ezra. The man had faced down a tank, been shot twice protecting people and had worn a dress for God Sakes, all without even a flicker of fear, what could make him show such fear now. _What in the hell did she say to him? Oh, Ezra why can't you have been gifted with an easier mother to deal with?_

"Ezra . . ." Vin slowly brought Peso up besides Chaucer so that he was facing the fear struck conman, the entire time keeping his hands up and moving slowly. _I can't be spookin' him; if I do then I'll never get Ezra back to town. _"Ezra, you can't stay out here forever, we need to get you back to town to get something to eat, we both know that you didn't eat breakfast and then ya barely touched your lunch. Now why don't ya come back to town-"

The slow movement of the gambler's head suddenly became a panicked shaking, emerald eyes growing wider then Vin thought was physically possible. "Vin . . . I can't . . . p-please . . . I-I can't face h-her . . . . N-not yet." As this jumble of words finished flowing out the gambler, it became apparent to the tracker that Ezra was making ready to bolt; his attempt was stopped by Vin's strong grip on his hands and reins.

"Ezra! Calm Down! Ezra, please look at me." Slowly tear filled, sea green eyes meet sky blue, seeing he had his friend's full attention the tracker continued. "Come back to town, you won't have ta face her. Ez, I'll make sure of it. Me and the boys, al'right? Ezra, don't ya trust us?" _Please let me get through, I need to get him home._

There was a pause, for a second Vin was afraid he had pushed the gambler too far. Every member of the Seven knew that Ezra was a private man, hell they all were, Ezra just seemed to be the worst, he was the one that had taken the longest to start opening up and relaxing around the others. This fact about Ezra's character had lead to the task that Vin and JD seemed share, getting the southern card sharp to learn to trust them, to see the six other men as family. There had been a few set backs, but the two lawmen had pushed onward, not backing down no matter how hard Ezra made it for them, they keep working on him till they got the idea through his thick southern skull. This gave the two of them an advantage in talking to the rogue that the others did not have, they knew all of the tricks to get him to talk. Vin just hoped he had choose the right one this time, forcing the man to reveal more than he was ready happened to be the quickest way you could start a fight, to get him to start talking or to get those green eyes go blank with his rock hard poker face, if you needed Ezra to be quiet.

The ex-bounty hunter wasn't sure what reaction he was going to receive but at this point anything other than the emotional wreck his friend was now was an improvement . . . and probably easier to deal with. So they waited, Vin allowing Ezra to calm down and quail whatever demons he was facing, while Vin planned his next move if this one didn't work. Then Vin heard it, the barest of whispers, a reply that both warmed and broke the heart of the gentle tracker.

"I do trust you Vin, all of you. I just fear the conclusion of this matter if my mother should set her sights on going forward. You gentlemen are the closest thing I have ever had to true friends . . . to a home . . . a place where I can belong, and I do not wish to see that destroyed or hurt on my account. Lord knows I am not worth that," as Ezra had spoke his voice had gotten softer, forcing Vin to strain his hearing to pick-up the last few words, when he did his heart went out to the flashy dressed, fast talking fool. These words again reminding Vin of a promise he had made months ago after that whole case with Stutz's ten thousand dollars, making him recommit to it now. _When I find the scum that made you see so little in yourself, I promise me and the boys are gonna have some fun with them._

"Come on Ez, we'll head in, I'll buy you a drink and reckon we'll go from there," Vin was happy to see a small nod of agreement as they turned their mounts towards town. _And I swear if that woman hurts you again . . . it's the last thing she'll ever do._

**A/N: **Well, it would seem that Vin doesn't care much for Maude? What about all of you? Should we see what is waiting for our pair back in town? Hope the other five are doing okay with Mother.** :-)**


	5. Chapter IV

**A/N: **Sorry it's been away little time between postings, work & family. Thanks for all of the reviews, and suggestions, the going to Chris' cabin may not be a bad idea.

Appearances Darlin', are Everything

_Part IV_

"Well of course I had to comment on the compliment they had paid to my dear Ezra because as we all know he never would have," there it was again, that smile of hers, Chris was starting to get a headache from all the charm this woman was using on them. _I wonder if it just comes naturally to her, or does she have to work at being that sly._ "Ezra never has been one to accept a compliment, why I remember this time wh-."

"Hey ya, Ez! Vin!" JD had been watching for the pair all afternoon, he called the other six men his family, but for some reason he felt closer to the two men who had just returned. Anyone outside of the group would say it was Buck the young sheriff was closer to, but it was the two in front of them now who never treated him like a kid, who respected him as an equal. _Ez don't look so good, I hope Vin found out what is wrong._

"JD, Boys . . . Mrs. Standish." The tracker's greeting was friendly as always, only his eyes betrayed something was wrong.

"Mr. Dunne, gentlemen, Mother."

Even though Ezra was standing right there in front of them, Chris had the feeling he was miles away. The gunslinger also noted the fact that Vin was standing close to Ezra, and seemed to be blocking him from . . . Maude? _Well, now that's going to warrant a talk later, but which do I try to talk to first?_

"You boys have a nice ride?" The black clad gunslinger drawled, watching Ezra for a second before making eye contact with the Texan. Asking the tracker without too many words about the condition of their resident gambler, and not liking the answer those blue eyes relayed to him.

"Sure did Cowboy, dual though . . . place is quieter than Josiah's church," there was humor in the answer, the Seven had developed the habit on using each others hobbies as a source of amusement, jokes about Ezra's card games, Buck's ladies, but the ex-bounty hunter took pride on being the one to get Josiah the most. The fact that he answered the question seemed to say that whatever was wrong could be fixed with time, and anyone who knew the Texan knew that he would take all of that he needed to help his friend.

"Yes, I must concur with Mr. Tanner. Apparently the miscreants that usually frequent this fair hamlet seemed to have declared today a holiday or day of rest. Let us hope that this good fortune does continue. Now if you gentlemen will excuse me, I believe my feather bed is summoning me." With a tip of his hat and a flash of a gold Ezra was on his way to the stairs. "I will endeavor to be up early so that I may accompany you out to Mrs. Wells' ranch tomorrow Mr. Tanner," Ezra added over his shoulder as an afterthought, an afterthought which managed to get a few head turns and raised eyebrows.

"Oh Ezra, darlin' wait I really must speak with you." Maude yelled to the back of her retreating son. Before the other six lawmen knew what had happened she grabbed her bag and was halfway up the stairs towards Ezra's room, however, their gambler had quickly turned around and was now strolling back towards their usual table. The others noted that Ezra walked with the same grace he always displayed but still seemed to almost run down the stairs.

"You know Mr. Tanner; I do recall you mentioned procuring me a libation before we retired. I do believe I will accept your gracious offer." Ezra made this announcement as he slipped into the chair his mother had just vacated, the action placing the card sharp securely between Vin and Josiah, and leaving the only empty seat at the table next to a now scowling and confused Chris Larabee. _Now Mother, how serious are you about talking? Will you face Mr. Larabee's personality and set next to him or will you give up till tomorrow? _"I also seem to remember your desire for Mr. Wilmington to resume his narration of our dangerous escapades in the fair town of Eagle Bend. Mr. Wilmington, if you would be so kind, I am sure our comrades have suffered enough suspense in this matter." It was at this point in the conversation that the youngest member of this miss-matched team remembered he could talk, and choose to prove it to everyone at the table, with gusto.

"Wow, Vin you promised to buy Ez a drink. What happened, did you lose a beat or something, I mean do you know how much that stuff he drinks cost? Wait, Ezra . . . you're coming with us tomorrow to see Ms. Nettie? Ain't that kind of early for ya to be up?"

Ezra sent an amused look around the table as JD continued to spout off questions at a rate that seemed physically impossible for anyone but the young peacekeeper. _Good Lord, I do hope he stops to breath soon, I believe Mr. Dunne is beginning to turn blue._

As Ezra continued to listen to his fellow peacekeeper he could feel the holes being burned into his back by Maude's stare, and from the glances Chris and Vin were throwing in her direction he got the distinct impression that her poker face was getting a bit rusty. Then suddenly, she was right behind him, well within his personal space, breaking through the imaginary wall that seemed to exist around him as a way to keep people at a distance. It was a sense of presence that Ezra had spent years mastering to keep people out, and with the exception of the six men at the table it always worked. _Odd, why do I never mind when one of them gets so close, but I can't even stand my own mother near me. _Ezra was about to make a comment on JD's ability to breath while talking when he felt a small feminine hand come to rest on his shoulder. Everyone at the table sensed the sudden tension emanating from the southern; even the young sheriff had felt it, his run on words coming to a stop. To the other occupants of the saloon nothing seemed out of peace, the slight change in Ezra's posture only being visible to someone close to him, or someone watching for it.

"Ezra, my dear, I really feel I must ask your friends to excuse you for the night. I've traveled quite some distance to discuss matters with you . . . all the way from San Francisco. Since it seems your time tomorrow has already been spoken for, tonight would be the best." The con woman drawled out, the whole time tighten her grip on her son's shoulder to the point where it was becoming painful, and would no doubt leave a mark. This action brought sympathetic winces from the other lawmen at the table, along with a few looks of pure rage.

"Why Mother, your last letter said you were in St. Louis, whatever were you doing in . . . San Francisco?" The question was harmless and drawled no major looks of concern from any of the observers of the exchange, with the exception of Vin who had noticed the stumble on Ezra's part over the name of the big city. This stumble seemed out of place for the smooth talking southern that used his words as both weapons and a shield. _Well, that's interesting, wonder what's in that city he don't want her knowing about . . . or us knowing about?_

"Why dear I was visiting a dear friend of yours. They were quite interested in how you were faring, they miss you immensely and wished me to pass along a message, Aaarrrggg!" The sudden scream caused everyone in the saloon to jump, the stream of curses that fell from that fine lady's mouth made them all stare. There behind Ezra's chair stood Maude Standish soaked and dripping with the round of drinks Vin had ordered for the group and behind her, holding the tray the drinks had been on stood Inez. There was a wave of giggles from the peacekeepers, which soon grew into outright laughter as the man looked at the Spanish bartender's face. Some how Inez looked both sorry for what had happened and proud at being the one behind the southern woman's current discomfort. When Inez realized she was being watched she rushed forward to help clean the distraught woman quickly covering up the smile on her face at the men's laughter.

"Oh, Senora Standish, I'm so sorry! Please let me dry you off!" The movement of Inez's towel looked more like the movement of a whip then the motion of a towel drying someone off, it soon ended though when Maude released her hold on Ezra in an attempt to get away from the Spanish woman's _helpful_ hands. Inez only continued to help her until, to Vin's delight, Maude's movements resulted in Inez standing between mother and son. _Now what will you do Senora? _

"It is quite alright my dear, things happen; we must not hold people to blame for accidents. It is just a dress, nothing to be so worked up over." _So I have to watch out for her as well. My, my Ezra, you have been busy . . . who else in this dust bowl will protect you, who else will I learn is against me._ "Ezra, perhaps you would help me back to the hotel so that I may collect myself?"

Ezra, who had been frozen since Maude's hand landed on his shoulder suddenly, felt as if the room was getting smaller. "Well Mother . . . I-."

"I would be honored Mrs. Standish, if you would allow me to accompany you to the hotel. It is on the way to the church, so it would be no trouble ma'am." Josiah stood holding out his arm to the con woman, with a charming smile of his own. _I need to get her away from Ezra; I don't know how much more my boy can take. _A look towards the card sharp displayed a pair of forest green eyes displaying a sense pf gratitude the likes of which Josiah had never seen before in the young man. _What happened to you son, what did this woman do? I hope Vin got you to talk to him, so we may know how to help._

"Yes Mother, perhaps you would allow Mr. Sanchez the honor of your company. I fear I must also adjourn to my closet for fresh apparel." _Please, please leave with Josiah!_

"Well of course dear, I did not realize you gotten soiled as well. I will see you gentlemen tomorrow. Good night my dear Ezra, I will see you for lunch tomorrow." With a small kiss to the top of his head, a pat on his shoulder and a smile Maude took Josiah's offered arm and left for the hotel. No sooner than the batwing doors had swung close the gambler was on his feet, making a beeline for his room.

_Oh, hell!_ "Ezra wait!"

"Ah need to get out of here Mr. Tanner."

_He's losing control . . . his accents getting stronger. Dame I pushed to hard, I shouldn't have brought him back. Now what do we do? _"Ez, come on. Let's talk-." The tracker had the terrible feeling this was his last chance, if he let Ezra out of his sight now he may not find him again.

"NO Vin! Ah'm sorry, but ah can't do this! Ah need to get out of here, right now!" In a flash the red jacket was gone, up the stairs before the remaining four regulators could catch up with the conversation.

"What just happened here?" Chris demanded to the back of Vin's retreating form.

"I don't know Cowboy, but I aim to find out." The tracker was gone from view as well, leaving four confused friends and a silent bartender in his wake. The ex-bounty hunter all but ran up the steps after the escaping gambler, confusing the others even more.

"Don't know 'bout you boys, but I feel like there's a story there I really want to hear." Buck was making to follow the runaway pair when he realized the other three had been spurred into the same motion. _Hope Ezra don't mind the company._ Just then a thought crossed Buck's mind. "Ms. Inez, I can't recall a time you've ever dropped a drink? Why you're as graceful as Ezra."

"There is a first time for everything Senior Buck." A wink, and a smirk then the four peacekeepers were left alone to follow their friends for answers. The lawmen of Four Corners were suddenly missing their usual miscreants, they were easier to understand and deal with. You point your gun, they either stop or you pull the trigger, problem solved. These family matters were harder to deal with, especially when it involved any family of the seven gunmen.

**A/N: **Go Inez, she's a good girl! Wonder what's up with San Francisco, just keep reading. I'll keep writing.


	6. Chapter V

**A/N: **Sorry this took so long, the boys and I had a difference on where the story should go. They wanted to just go after Maude, I figured we should hold off some, let some of the town's folk get their shot first. Let me know what you think.

Appearances Darlin', are Everything

_Part V_

"Ez open this door or I will!" The sight that greeted the other lawmen when they reached the gambler's room would have been comical if they had not just witnessed the display in the saloon. Vin stood at the door; hand on the door knob turning the locked item with enough force to eventually break it, while trying to keep his body away from the evidence that Ezra did not like to be woken up early and yes, he slept with a gun. "Ezra please, I promised ya I would help, I can't do that iffen ya don't tell me what's wrong. Ez, don't make me break my promise. Don't go making me a lair, open the door, please?"

The Texan released the door handle, stepping back to join the others in the hallway, hoping that his words got through to his friend. Slowly after what seemed like a lifetime the gathered men heard the lock pop open, followed by the creaking of wood as the door was opened far to slowly for it's liking. When the crack in the door was just large enough a head topped with wavy auburn hair appeared. The head turned slowly, scanning the immediate area for something, the tracker instantly knew what that something was . . . or who it was.

"She ain't here Ezra, Josiah took her to the hotel." Vin spoke slowly, sensing the same need to run in his friend that he had on the trail. "So are ya gonna let us in or do you want to talk in the hallway?" The question was asked at a slow pace, as if Vin was unsure of Ezra's ability to comprehend what was being said. Yes, he was worried about his friend and at this point refused to do anything to make the situation worst.

"Not here?"

"No, Ez she ain't here. Ya gonna open the door?" Vin had not been surprised by the shocked gasps he heard from the men behind him, remembering how he reacted to Ezra's appearance on the trail it made sense they would react that way to the sight the gambler provided now. "Come on Ez, let me and the boys in. I swear Maude ain't no where near by."

"No w-where? Josiah truly got mother to leave?" The simplicity of the words used and the pain that was visible in those green eyes made the other four peacekeepers stop all thoughts but one. _How do we get our Ezra back?_ Some the fear they felt for their friend must have shown on their faces because before their eyes they watched as those green orbs began to take on the shutter look that was almost constantly visible in them when the conman was in public. Vin saw this too, something told him not to let it happen, that they needed to get Ezra to open up.

"Come on Ez, let us in. People may start to talk. Wouldn't want that now would ya?" Vin step forward with the question, using the distraction it caused to get the gambler's door open. Once inside only one question was on the Texan's mind, and Vin was pretty sure the men behind him had the same one on theirs. "Where were ya headed Ezra? Gonna be gone long?"

The card sharp's room was a mess; the closet looked like it had been ram sacked, and most of his possessions were strung across the bed along with a carpet bag and Ezra's saddle bags. It was obvious that the run to the room was not made so that the gambler could change clothes but so that he could pack. From the looks of things he was packing for a long trip. _Wonder if he's planning on coming back? Was he at least gonna say god bye?_

"Yes, well . . . y-you see I realized it had been quite sometime since I cleaned out my quarters. One should keep up on such tasks as to not amass more possessions then one is able to transport in an efficient manner. That is a rule for one in my line of business, a rule I seemed to have forgotten." The card sharp had moved back to the bed and was in the process of folding his vests, sorting through them only packing the best ones. As the others watched their friend sort through his things the men came to realize this was a harder task then Ezra was making it appear. They watched as his eyes strayed back to a discarded item or his hand lingered on a shirt a little longer than perhaps it should. When he finally came to his jackets they could see just how hard this was for the man, the rouge was shaking as he picked up the red jacket they had come to know as a part of him. It was what he had been wearing he day they all meet; the jacket he had on when he had been shot by Stutz protecting Mary; the red jacket was what had made it possible for Li Pong to find him after he and Nathan had freed her from her uncle at the train camp. The fact that this piece of clothing had so many memories attached to it was probable the reason why Ezra took longer to sort it. However when Vin saw the pain in Ezra's eyes as he looked over the item and added it to the pile of ruined clothes that were to be left behind the tracker knew he had to put a stop to this. Vin realized that the gambler did not need this right now.

"Ezra?" Vin could tell that his friend was moving on instinct again, not truly aware of what was going on around him. _Well, ain't this gonna be fun. _"Ezra, ya done cleaning the room, cause the boys and I think we need to talk."

The gambler seemed to be in a different room then the other five peacekeepers has he continued shifting through his clothes, but as the peacekeepers watched they noticed every few pieces of clothing would bring him back to the red jacket. After picking it up for the fifth time, it was yanked from his hands by Chris who at the same time stepped into the gambler's personal space thus forcing Ezra to back into his bed.

"Sit Down Ezra!" The order was growled out through clenched teeth, and came with a stare that left no room for argument. "Did you hear what Vin said? We came up here to talk to you, not watch you sort your damn closet! I swear Ezra you are the most annoying, hard headed, irritating-!"

"I'm s-sorry. I d-did not mean t-to make you s-so mad Chris . . . I . . . I just . . ."

The dark clad gunslinger was frozen by the broken sob that came from his southern friend; the pain in those eyes went straight to his heart. This was a side of Ezra that Chris had never seen before; he looked so young, so vulnerable. With a look at the other faces in the room it was clear to see that only Vin seemed to be still moving, the other three were just as shocked as he was. Chris was shaken, not sure how to handle an emotionally distraught card sharp or even sure he should try since the eruption of fear had steamed from his actions. Chris backed away from the bed, suddenly afraid his presence would make the situation worst.

Sensing Chris' sudden uncertainty on how to handle the sobbing rough Buck took pity on his oldest friend and stepped forward to help Vin with the young man he had come to think of as a bother. It only took a little persuading from the ladies man and Vin to get Ezra to release the clothes he had grabbed in response to Chris' outburst and shift over so the two of them could sit down flanking him on the bed. Though it was not visible to the others in the room Buck could feel the tremors that were coursing through the smaller man's frame.

"Ezra, I thought we made a deal, ya were gonna come back and we'd all face your mother together." Vin waited for some response from the gambler, when he received a head nod he continued. "Now how are we suppose to do that when ya won't tell us what's wrong? If ya want to get out of town while Maude's here than tell us and we'll figure something out. One of us can go with ya, or we can at least plan where you can go."

"Hell hoss, you don't have to go through this alone. You've got six brothers here to back you up." Buck saw the shocked look flash through those emerald green eyes and suddenly wished he knew the bastard who had hurt this young man so much, that way the town lothario could return the favor. _Why is it so hard for you to trust us Ez? Why can't you believe you're worth having friends who'll help you, who will back you up?_ "Here's what we're gonna do . . . you don't want to talk right now, that's fine with Ol' Buck, but you have to promise to talk to us . . . hell, just one or all six I don't rightly care, just as long as you do it real soon. Do we have a deal?" As Wilmington held his hand out to the gambler he saw the glare Larabee shot his way, but Buck knew when he had watched Vin approach Ezra like the Texan would a wounded animal this was the only way to keep the gambler here in town where they could watch his back, he was to scared right now to be pushed.

The room grew thick with tension as the five men waited to see how the card sharp reacted. Green eyes stared at the extended hand, and then slowly rose to look into soft blue. "We can wait till I'm ready? N-no rushing . . . or . . . o-or pressure to answer sooner?"

"When you're ready Ez."

"All right then, I guess Mr. Wilmington . . . Buck, we have an agreement." As the two shook hands, the gambler's stomach came to a decision of its own, and was going to be heard.

"Ah hell Ezra, I promised to buy ya dinner with that drink of yours." As the words came out the men in the room could not help themselves when smiles spread across their faces as they remembered just where those drinks ended up. "Why don't ya change into some dry clothes and then we all can go grab something to eat? What do you boys say to that plan?" The look Vin sent to the others almost looked like he was pleading for them to agree with his plan, as if it was the only way they would get Ezra to do the same.

"That sounds real good Vin, figure I'll go track down Josiah. We'll see you boys at dinner." With that said, and a smile sent in Ezra's direction the town's healer made to leave the room in search of the group's missing member. A slight whimper from the southern had Nathan stopping at the door and looking back towards Ezra with a knowing smile on his face. "Don't you worry none Ezra, I'll make sure Maude don't know about dinner. See you boys downstairs in a few."

With that he was out the door, quickly followed by Chris and JD, the later being forcefully dragged behind the group's leader. "Come on kid, let's go get our table back from which ever cowhand was dumb enough to take it. We'll see you boys down stairs."

As the door closed behind the odd pair Buck couldn't help but smile. "I should probably go save him."

"Which him are you referring to Mr. Wilmington, our fearless leader or the team's youthful member? I can see either one of the gentlemen in question needing assistance soon if they are left alone in each other's company for to long a period of time." Ezra was feeling much calmer now, and planned to let these men know that, and know that it was with their help he was back in this state. "If you gentlemen will just let me grab a new jacket, we can depart to save our friends together."

Vin had gotten up as Chris and JD had left, when he heard what the conman had last said he reacted quickly. Grabbing a jacket off of the bed from behind the gambler he handed it to Ezra with a smile. "Here ya go Ez, you should definitely go with this jacket."

"Well, if you insist Mr. Tanner, I will wear this old thing." Taking the light brown sued jacket from the tracker's reach Ezra got ready to head back down with his friends. As the three men descended the stairs the gambler could only think of two sure things at that moment. One, he was glade that he had finally found a place he could call home with the six men he now called family. Two, it was odd with this jacket on he actually looked like he belonged with the gunmen sitting in the saloon. _To think I was going to leave this one behind has well._

"Oh Buck, can you finally finish that story you were telling earlier?" yelled JD has he saw the three men heading down the stairs.

"Of course kid, I wouldn't want you boys to suffer for long not knowing how I saved the town and our Ezra here?"

"Oh lord, maybe I should have stayed up stairs." The gambler mumbled with a faint smile has he slipped into his set, ready to enjoy the company of his friends . . . no his family.

**A/N:** I'm so glade Buck was there to help Ezra, Chris tries but really do you always have to yell? Let me know what you think?


	7. Chapter VI

**A/N: **Thanks for the greet reviews. It's nice to know that I was thinking along the same lines as my fellow writers on how the story should go from here. Hope you like the next installment. Now the girls get to have some fun.

Appearances Darlin', are Everything

_Part VI_

"Why hello there, Ms. Nettie, Ms. Casey. We weren't expecting to see you in town today. Did those boys give you any problems?" Buck had stepped over from his place in front of the jail to help the ladies out of their wagon which they had parked in front of the restaurant. "Did you get all the repairs you needed finished? Ezra wasn't a bother now was he? See it was-."

"Now son, none of you boys are ever a trouble, and don't worry about convincing Mr. Standish to join Vin and JD, Ezra was actually quite helpful today." The old lady graced Buck with a thankful smile as he reached up to start unloading her wagon for her. "Why I don't remember the last time my kitchen was so clean and organized. I even had time to bake you boys a few pies. Of course Ezra insisted on peach, I hope that's alright with the rest of you boys."

"Ezra was doing house work? Why, our brother Ezra seems to be full of surprises this week." Josiah commented as he began helping Buck with the boxes in the wagon. Josiah and Nathan had walked up halfway through the conversation to visit with Nettie and help with unloading the wagon if their help was needed. People in town knew that Vin worried about the old lady, but truth be told all of the seven had a soft spot for the woman who sometimes acted like a mother to them.

"I thought that lazy fool said he don't do manual labor."

"I stated that a gentleman never does menial labor, Mr. Jackson, I really must insist if you are going to quote me that you at least strive to get the proper phrasing." The gambler finished his little speech while coming to lean against one of the support beams in front of the restaurant. "And I assure you sir there is nothing menial with the task of helping a cook as gifted as this beautiful lady keep her work area up to a level worthy of her talents. Now if you gentlemen would be so kind as to say your farewells, I do believe Mr. Tanner and Mr. Dunne promised to take these lovely ladies to lunch."

Chris and Vin had arrived with the southern; they were both now smiling at the looks the others were aiming in Ezra's direction. The trip out to Nettie's place seemed to have been good for the smooth talking conman, what the old lady had said to Ezra while he helped clean her kitchen would forever stay between them, and the remaining members of the seven were fine with that, they were just happy it had helped.

Vin, JD and Ezra had rode out at sunrise to the ranch and the three were meet at the front door by Nettie, Casey and Nettie's Spencer Carbine. After the men had seen to their horses they were dragged inside with an order to join the women for breakfast, during which Nettie made a point to talk to all three about the gossip from town, not just Vin as was the tradition. When Vin, JD and Casey had started to head out to fix the coral and fences, Nettie asked Ezra if he would mind helping an old lady reorganize and label her kitchen so they'd have room to start stocking up for the coming winter, the gambler of course said yes, happy to finally be of use on one of these trips, not just a tag along.

With the gambler helping in the house, and three people working outside the group got done early enough to head back to town for lunch and to allow Nettie to pick up her supplies. That plan in order, Ezra and Casey went to saddle the horses while Vin and JD loaded up the wagon with some preserves Nettie was brining to town, and the peach pies she had made for "her boys."

"Aren't you going to join us for lunch Ezra?" The use of the conman's first name got Nettie a few looks of shock which she either did not see, or choose to ignore.

"Why of course dear lady, I was merely going to return momentarily to my sanctuary above the saloon to retrieve the piece of literature which you inquired about barrowing. I will rendezvous with all of you at the restaurant in say fifth-teen minutes?" With a slight tip of his hat, Ezra was off towards the saloon to pick up his book.

"Are the rest of you boys going to join us, I have something we need to talk about before fancy man gets back." Nettie was heading for the restaurant when something caught her eye down the street. There heading towards the saloon at quite a quick pace was Maude Standish, to anyone watching it was easy to see she was heading to intercept her son at the saloon's door. From the way Ezra's pace picked up it was clear he had also spotted his mother.

"Ah hell, should one of us try to stop-?" The Texan's question was drowned out by a commotion down the street as Billy and Gloria Potter's children came running out of the General store into the street, plowing directly into Maude. The peacekeepers watched has she struggled to remain standing only to lose her battle with gravity and land in one of the many mud puddles that lined the main street of town. Unaware of what they had done the children continued down the street to their target.

"Ezra! Ezra, look what mother got for us! Remember those books you mentioned, the ones they use in schools back east? She got us some of our own." The southern was suddenly surrounded by children waving around new school books; they keep talking and following Ezra as he made his way into the saloon.

"Oh, Maude, here let me help you up. Oh, your dress, do you need help getting back to the hotel. Gloria, come help will you?" Mary Travis had exited the store just moments after her son and the other children.

The group gathered in front of the restaurant watched as the two mothers tried to help the conwoman stand up, knocking mud of her dress as they went. Chris noted, with a smile, that like Inez the night before it almost looked as if they were hitting Maude more than just removing the mud. Movement at the store's entrance caught the gunslinger's attention, he watched as Inez left the store holding a box of supplies for the saloon. With barely a glance in the direction of the scene in the street the Spanish bartender made her way along the boardwalk towards the silent observers.

"Good morning seniors, Senora Nettie. Senora Standish seems to be having a bad visit, no?" The question sounded quite sincere it was only her smile which made one think that maybe she felt differently. "Well I will see you later, have a wonderful day."

"Here sister, let me help you with that. Wouldn't want anyone else falling in the mud now would we. I'll bring Brother Ezra back with me, I'm sure he will need some help getting away from the children." Josiah took the box from Inez, and followed her across the street to the saloon. With a glance down the street the regulators could see that Maude was on her way to the hotel, looking a little worst for ware. Mary was heading towards them on the boardwalk with a bag of candy in hand.

"Mary, I was hoping you would come this way. Would you care to join the group for lunch?" Nettie asked from where she stood holding Vin's arm.

"I'd love to Nettie, I just need to give these to Billy and the other children first."

"That's a lot of candy for them, they must have done something really special for you to give them it." The gunslinger had a smirk on his face as he made his statement.

"What? Oh no, nothing special. Mrs. Potter and I simply asked them to do us a favor. One which we agreed they should be rewarded for." The newswoman said with a smirk of her own and a sparkle in her eyes. As Mary took the arm Chris extended to her he couldn't help but laugh at the innocent look that filled her face.

As the group began to head in for lunch they heard a wave of laughter come from the saloon as once again the children came stampeding out of the doors, only this time along with their books they all held some of the hard candies that Ezra carried around for Chaucer.

"It looks like they already got rewarded Mary, if I was you I'd wait and hand those out later. Shall we go lunch, don't know about all of you but I'm mighty hungry." As the group slowly entered the restaurant in order to find some tables, it dawned on Nathan that they hadn't finished their earlier conversation.

"Ma'am what was it you were wanting to talk to us about?"

"Oh, it can keep Nathan. I think I already got some of the answers I needed."

The group ordered their meal, joined a moment later by Ezra and Josiah. Lunch was a grand event; Nettie quizzed Mary and the other peacekeepers for more details to gossip she had heard about at breakfast, by the end of the meal everyone was laughing and having a good time. When the food was all gone, including the pies that Nettie had made for them, the men finished unloading and reloading Nettie's wagon, Mary headed off to find the children to give them the reward for a job well done, and Casey went to do her work at the store before they left town for the day.

Everyone went about their jobs for the day as if it was just any other day of the week, completely unaware of the eyes that had tracked their every move from a hotel window.


	8. Chapter VII

Appearances Darlin', are Everything

_Part VII_

_So Ezra's friends want to play, well we'll see how much they like the game when they have to play by my rules. _Maude Standish stood at the door to the hotel watching people has they passed by. Cleaned up and in a new, dry dress, again, the southern belle planned to show this little town why they should never have took her son away from her. _Really they have him thinking he belongs here, like he could have a normal life. Don't they know who my precious boy is? What I had planned for him in the future? I really must take care of this before it gets worst, next thing I know they'll convince him to go find that Chinese girl and settle down._

"How do I handle this though? What would get him out of this town long enough for me to make sure they wouldn't take him back?" Then it struck her like a bolt of lightening, that's exactly what she would do. "If Ezra wants to have a normal life, well then he needs to see what that could mean he'll have to deal with."

Maude left the hotel making a bee line for the telegraph office. She passed by everyone without a word, she was so intent on reaching her goal that she did not realize she was being watched by the town's young sheriff.

_I wonder what Mrs. Standish is up to? Maybe I should check it out, could be about poor Ezra. _JD moved to follow the conwoman to the office, but instead of slipping into the office behind her he moved down the side alley so that he could spy through the window. Maude had already given the name and city to the telegraph officer, and in was in the process of writing her message.

"Please come soon. STOP. Ezra in grave danger. STOP. May not have long. STOP." When the message had been sent, and the transaction paid for the woman left to in search of her son. "You will let me know if there is a reply won't you kind sir."

"Of course Mrs. Standish, I'll send it over as soon as I get one."

_This can't be good I better go tell the boys, Chris will know what to do. _With that thought JD was off like a shot to the saloon, knowing that's exactly where he would find his friends at this time of day.

**A/N: **Now what's going on? Sorry this one so short but I figured it got right to the point. Let me know what you think. Thanks for all of the great comments so far.


	9. Chapter VIII

**A/N: **Sorry this took so long, two words will explain why . . . Harry Potter. Now the boys are back, and Ezra has had enough. Hope you like fireworks; this chapter is full of some. Once again . . . if you LIKE Maude Standish **TURN BACK NOW!!!**

Appearances Darlin', are Everything

_Part VIII_

"Inez my dear, please bring another round for these fine gentlemen." Even without watching the southern card sharp sway in his chair it was obvious to everyone present that Ezra was drunk. The southern accent they knew him for got thicker for two reasons, strong emotional displays which were rare or when he was drunk which was even rarer. "What shall we toast to? Oh, ah have got it, to the wonderful children and their delightful mothers who populate this fair hamlet."

Has Ezra raised his glass to salute the non-present honorees of his toast the gambler lend a little too far left, and with a loud bang found himself on the floor, covered with whiskey for the second time this week. Vin and Buck were instantly at their friend's side helping the conman to stand and dust himself off. Once they had Ezra situated back in his righted seat the tracker moved both the whiskey bottle and mug of beer from the card sharp's reach.

"Maybe ya've had enough Ez. How 'bout ya just slow down a bit?"

"Yeah hoss, you don't have ta drink the whole bar tonight. Maybe we'll have something to celebrate tomorrow." Buck spoke to the conman while he made eye contact with the other members of their group. It was plain to see that these men were still worried about their friend but no one knew quite how to open a conversation about Ezra's troubles. "I mean you don't know someone might knock Maude into a water trough or cover her with molasses. I know Inez still needs to clean this place up, we should probable call it a night."

"Oh come now Mr. Wilmington, what good would that suggestion do? No sir, we are here to celebrate a victory against the tyrant known as-, Oaf!" Before Ezra finished his speech he once again found himself on the saloon floor looking up at the smiling face of the group's tracker. "Mr. Tanner I insist you switch this chair for another, I do believe that it is a faulty piece of furniture."

"Sure Ez, I'll switch it for ya. Here . . . try this one." Vin helped the gambler back to his feet and returning him to his chair, the same one as before, at the same time making eye contact with Chris. "How about we get ya some coffee Ez? Think we need to sober ya up a bit." As the Texan made this suggestion Chris went to retrieve the pot Inez had set on the bar for them.

"What are the long faces about my friends? I had thought we were here tonight to celebrate, but it seems that I am the only member of this fellowship interested in a lively li . . li . . . libation." Ezra made for the bottle of whiskey sitting just out of his reach knocking over half of the glasses on the table top.

"Come on Ez, I agree with Vin. Maybe you should switch to coffee-."

"I DO NOT WANT ANY DAMN COFFEE BUCK! Stop trying to be a mother hen, I can take care of myself! Lord knows I've done it most of my life." The gambler once again reached for the bottle, this time he was stopped by a strong pair of hands on his shoulders followed by Josiah's powerful voice.

"Now son, Bother Buck only wants to help-." The ex-preacher found himself staggering backwards as the chair Ezra had been occupying collided with his legs. Faster than they thought he could move in this condition Ezra was up and facing the recovering man.

"I am not your son! I do not have need of a father figure! I have had more of those in my life than I would care to remember! You keep saying I should trust you gentlemen, that you are my friends. Friends would understand that right now all I want to do is get happily drunk so as to forget-." As the southerner continued talking he noticed that the other six lawmen now standing around him where getting taller before his eyes. _No, wait it would appear that I am getting shorter. _This was Ezra's thought when he suddenly found himself sitting on the floor, looking up at the others.

"Oh my lord, Ezra what are you doing on that floor? Don't you know any better?" Before the others could stop her Maude made her way to her son's side, while trying to help her boy up she began to yell at him again. Maude was completely ignoring the looks she was receiving from the six men around her and was oblivious to the growing waves of anger coming from her son. "I do swear, it's almost like you have no regards for everything I sacrificed for you. Now you throw it all away . . . for what? This job? The town? Those people out there? THESE MEN?! Why darlin' are you wasting your talents here? After everything I did for you? This isn't how I raised you!"

At that statement the men could feel the change in tension in the saloon; the more observant members could see the change that came over their gambling friend. Slowly, ever so slowly Ezra pulled away from Maude's grip. The southern gentleman straightened his jacket, fixed his hair and dusted off his pants, all the while you could see him planning out his next words. Maude simply stood there, unaware to the storm growing next to her; she was to busy aiming dagger like stares at the men around them. Then it happened, with a simply nod of the head, as if he was agreeing to something said in an internal conversation with himself, the walls broke and the distraught young man the peacekeepers had been given peaks of the last few days returned, and went straight after Maude.

"Everything you've sacrificed? Everything you've given up? To raise me, RAISE ME, Mother? What about what I have given up? My childhood?! Oh, it was a grand time wasn't it? Moving from house to house, family to family! That's right you weren't there, you were off with one of your many husbands! Off having fun while I was turned into a ranch hand, or house keeper, or a babysitter, dutifully full filling whatever demands the family made of me so that they would let me stay till you came back for me! Except the only reason you would ever to that was when you needed me for a job! Look cute Ezra! Be a gentleman Ezra! GO DISTRACT THE MAN'S DAUGHTER EZRA! I HAVE HAD ENOUGH!" Ezra's face was bright red from drink and lack of breath due to the words that kept rushing from his mouth, the gambler other wise seemed perfectly calm. Really, anyone who looked at the man would not believe he was the one who had just finished yelling, that was until you looked at his eyes. Staring back at Maude where green eyes had once sat now resided cold, green pieces of ice.

"Oh, now do not listen to him my boys. Ezra is obviously drunk and unaware-."

"You enjoy telling them of my past so much, tell them about my childhood mother. Tell them about how you would dump me at a friend's home to be picked up later like left over luggage? Or abandon me to an aunt or uncle's care till you needed me? How about the time I spent with Aunt Tessa in New Orleans, learning how to gamble and sweet talk the women. From the women who worked her cat house, at the age of six? Or the time I spent with Uncle David? I'm sure Mr. Jackson would like to know that I understand how slaves felt, I can accept his hatred for my accent, since Uncle David beat me like one of his slaves because I tried to help them? I was eight when that happened, wasn't I? That's right you weren't there, you wouldn't know! Maybe you want to tell them how you arranged for me to marry cousin Barry's true love, so he would then be free to marry a girl of his father's choosing, one with more money! The exchange for that was what mother? What was it again? TELL THEM!"

"Ezra's Uncle Steven paid off some of my gambling debts. But you didn't have to marry her. Darlin' it all worked out in the-."

"It all worked out in the end, my mother's philosophy on life. How about this story then? Tell them how I came to be fighting in the war . . . for the south . . . to protect a way of life that I hated with every fiber of my body. Well, mother?" It was obvious this emotional explosion was taking a toll on the conman, the six peacekeepers could see him shaking and his complexion had become almost white, to the others Ezra appeared on the verge of passing out.

The other regulators were glade the saloon had already closed for the night. Everyone knew how private their gambler was, they would have hated to deal with the fallout if there had been witnesses to this display of emotion and spilling of the man's well kept past. As they watched the gambler swayed a few times, but refused to sit down. Vin could see what this was doing to his friend, and wanted to put a stop to it soon. Just when the tracker moved to help his brother his thoughts were interrupted by the soft pleading voice of Maude Standish.

"Ezra, please . . . I did the best I could-."

"NO! I do not want to hear that anymore Mother! The best a mother could do would not land her son fighting in the stead of a stranger's son so that she could escape going to jail for a con gone wrong. The best you could do would mean that this town and these men are not the first time I felt I have a true home and family, because I would have had one with you! Doing your BEST does not mean come to Four Corners and destroy my dreams of running my own saloon because you think my _god given talents_ are getting rusty!"

"Darlin', let me-."

"Doing your best mother means STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM LI PONG! I sent her away so that you couldn't treat her like you did Elizabeth!" Ezra, in the process of yelling had forced Maude down into one of the abandoned chairs at the table. The woman was visible distraught about what all her son had just screamed, but none of the others could tell how Ezra was. Then they saw a change pass through the man before them again, and Ezra turned to address them, much calmer then he had been not moments before. "My friends I must apologize, it would seem I have lost my desire to celebrate. If you gentlemen will excuse me, I do believe I will turn in for the night."

The gambler was to the upper floor when the remaining six lawmen broke ranks, without a word between them they split, each knowing what they needed to do. JD, Buck and Vin ran up the stairs after their brother to take care of him. Nathan left for his clinic in order to get a soothing tea to help Ezra relax and get some real sleep. Josiah walked outside to begin his patrol of the town, planning to keep everything under control so that his brothers could stick to their tasks. Chris, after helping Inez clean up the remains of the Seven's earlier celebration, left in search of the telegraph agent, he need to know who Maude was talking to.

As the six men moved off to take care of their appointed duties they all felt a growing sense of pride and respect for their southern card sharp. That he could have survived all of that to become the strong willed, loyal friend they saw before them was nothing but a miracle. Silently six men made various promises to the man, if only they knew that they all carried the same meaning behind them, it would be clear how close this group now was. They basically boiled down to the same thing, _if that bitch goes near him again, I'll shoot her on the spot._

The saloon was now completely empty except for Inez who was still trying to close up the saloon, and the weeping southern bell. But who was Maude crying for, her son whose life she had so greatly hurt? Or was she crying for herself as she watched all of her great plans get turned into a puff of smoke?

"Excuse me, Senora Standish." The Spanish bartender was careful to not upset the woman more, though that was all she wanted to really do. _She should pay for what she did to him. How could such a sweet man have come from this woman?_

"Oh, yes dear?" Maude turned to the younger woman as if Inez would help her some how. Maybe she would have a soft word or a shoulder to cry on . . . _no chance there_.

"I need to close up, if you don't mind." Standing there with her hands on her hips it was apparent that Inez was not leaving until Maude was gone.

"Oh, yes of course. I am sorry my dear." Maude was just stepping on to the boardwalk when she heard Inez's soft reply.

"I am not the one you should be apologizing to Senora, and when Senor Standish's friends get done with you. Si you will be sorry."

_Oh Ezra, what have I done? How can I make this better? _Standing there, alone in the darken street Maude Standish realized what she needed to do. What the town had been trying to show her through their support of her son. Now the question was . . . could she do it? _For you my darlin' boy I will try anything._

**A/N: **One more time . . . what did you think?


	10. Chapter IX

**A/N: **Seems the last chapter sparked some healthy debates, so I thought I should comment on them. First, sorry to anyone I may have offended, but I never claimed a desire to be historical accurate in writing this story. Second, thanks to those of you who have reviewed my story, and continued to read it beside the fact it is taking forever to write, I appreciate the helpful comments, advice and support, i.e. Ruby Sparrow, amsilcox, glitteryfairy 11 & Cassandra30. Now, without further ado, the ones you really came to read about.

Appearances Darlin', are Everything

_Part IX_

"Ezra will ya open the door, please? All we want to do is see that you're okay." JD was starting to really worry about the group's skittish gambler. It had been about half an hour since Ezra had erupted at Maude in the saloon then high tailed it up to his room to . . . to . . . well, that was the problem, they had heard nothing from the gambler but a few muffled sobs since he entered his room. _We have to get this door open_. "What are we gonna do? We have to see if Ezra's okay?"

"I know kid, but after everything that went on downstairs we need to be careful how far we push him. That boy is jumper than a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs, we can't afford to make it worse." Buck had been sitting in a barrowed chair outside of Ezra's door since the gambler had first run in there. The lady's man wanted to kick the door down and force the fast talking southerner to talk to them as much as the sheriff did, but after dealing with Chris in his darker hours Buck knew that, that course of action would most likely only bring more trouble. _No, we need another way of getting that door open. _"JD, do me a favor, go and get Inez will ya?"

"Buck, right now really ain't the time for-."

"I know that boy, I'm thinking she may have better luck with opening this door. Ask her if she could bring up some hot water so we can make some of Nathan's tea for him." Buck watched the sheriff practically run down the stairs in search of Inez, then he turned his attention to the two other men in the hall way. "What are we gonna do when we get that door open? We can't keep promising to keep that woman away from him, than let this happen again. I don't think Ez can survive any more of this, the boy seems to be at the end of his rope."

"I know that Buck, but what you suppose we should do about it? Right now I just want to get him to drink some of this here tea and relax a little, but after that . . . we can't force Ezra to talk." Nathan, though he sounded calm, was the picture of pure worry, if the healer wasn't pacing up and down the hallway; he was in one spot switching from foot to foot.

"What we need to do is get him out of town, and away from Maude. I think we should take him out to Chris's place, than go from there."

Vin had taken JD's place by the side of Ezra's door, and was trying to decide if he should try to get the door open or wait for Inez like Buck. "Iffen we can't get him ta go peacefully Buck, what do we do than?"

"That boy's so drunk I'm sure it won't be hard to convince him to go. Or we do what I use to do to Chris."

"Yeah Buck, what was that?"

"Well Nathan, you see when Chris used to get in one of his moods, and crawl into the bottle, well I would just wait till he passed out and I'd drag his sorry ass back to wherever it was we were staying."

"And if I remember correctly I tried to shoot you the next morning every time you pulled that stunt. Seeing as Ezra's as fast with that gun as I am, and can shoot a helluva lot straighter when drunk I think that might be a bad idea." The three men had been so involved in their conversation that they had not heard Chris, JD and Inez coming up the stairs to join them. "Now just where are you boys planning on taking Ezra to anyways?"

"I suggested taking him out to your place Ol'dog, hold up there for a few days till we can get him calmed down, and figure out what to do with that woman Ez is forced to call _mother_." Buck spoke that last word as if it was a foul tasting substance that needed to be spit out. "So pard, does that plan meet up with yours?"

"Reckon so, how does Ezra feel about this plan of yours?"

"Well now, we need Miss Inez here to see if she can get our boy to open the door, 'cause he ain't budging for any of us. So what do you say darling, care to give it a try?" Buck flashed Inez his most charming smile, _I hope it works for a yes on this._

"Of course Senor, if you think it will work." Inez moved passed the grouped men up to the door that had everyone's attention, has she passed Nathan she handed him the tray with her tea set on it, the set that Ezra had purchased for the saloon. "Senor Standish I brought you some tea, I thought perhaps you would like some to help you sleep . . . Please Senor, will you open the door?"

The group waited for a minute to see what would happen, if their new idea would work out on finally getting them into that room. The peacekeepers, at the end of their own ropes, were about to break the door down when they heard movement inside. Seconds later the door opened to reveal a vision of Ezra they had never seen before and prayed they would never see again. There, framed by the door, stood their fancy dressed gambler only Ezra did not appear so fancy at the moment. The conman's shirt was unbuttoned half way down, his vest was just hanging on his shoulders, Ezra's sleeves were rolled up above his elbows and that auburn hair that was so perfectly brushed everyday was sticking out at every angel. If the appearance of the conman's usual pristine clothes didn't worry those in the hallway, one look at the man's face destroyed any hopes that nothing was wrong. Standish's face was now such a pale complexion that his shirt had more color, except of course for his nose which he apparently had blown to much, for it was a lovely red which now matched his favorite jacket. Ezra's eyes were the worst, besides being blood shot from crying so much, they showed such pain and sorrow that it made the other men want to cry for their bother. Despite all of this though, the man was wearing a smile when he addressed the Spanish bartender.

"My dear Miss Recillos, I must apologize for the insensitivity of my compatriots in forcing you from your bed at such an hour. Please, do not worry about me any more and go get some rest. I fear these fine gentlemen are exaggerating my true condition."

"It was no trouble Senor I was worried about you as well. If however, you are sure, I will say good night." The men could tell Inez was not happy to leave, but seemed to take comfort in the fact that Ezra was not going to be left alone by the action.

"Now since you gentlemen were so inclined to use that lovely lady to get my door opened, may I inquire as to why?" Vin could see that Ezra was trying to play off his appearance by slipping deeper into his five dollar words. _Won't work this time pard, I doubt any of us can be conned by you today._

"Ezra?"

"Yes Mr. Larabee?"

"Can the boys and I come in, we need to talk?" Though this was presented like a question, they could all hear the undeniable order behind the words.

"And if I were to decline your hope for an audience at this point in time?"

"We'll kick the door in when you close it again."

There it was, the challenge had been set. The other peacekeepers knew how much these two seemed to enjoy fighting, now they had to wonder would it come to that again or would the two men resolve this like friends.

"Well, when you phrase your request in such a charming manner how could one refuse?" Ezra moved to the side of the doorway, motioning them in with a waist deep bow. "Entrée vous, please excuse the mess, you see I have been unable to repair the damage I inflicted upon my room last night. Please gentlemen, make yourselves comfortable."

As the men moved around to find somewhere to sit they realized that Ezra had been packing again, only this time it appeared that the conman was getting ready for only a three or four day trip away from town. The five men now found themselves setting on everything from Ezra's bed still covered with clothes, to the rocking chair that resided in the gambler's room. After everyone had entered, the conman simply turned to lean against the door, this position (the others realized) allowed him to face the five men in the room without placing his back open to any of them.

"Ezra did you get any sleep last night?"

"Why do you ask Mr. Wilmington?"

"'Cause I'm pretty sure this in the same pile of clothes me and Vin sat next to on this bed o' yours." Buck turned from eyeing the articles behind him and JD to really look at the card sharp. Now that the lady's man knew what to look for it wasn't hard to see the signs that Ezra was exhausted. For one the man was practically being held up by the door, his puffy blood shot eyes had bags under them and where his hand was visible on the door handle Buck could make out the trembling of the muscles from the effort it was taking for Ezra to stay on his feet. Though Buck never took his eyes off the conman the town's rouge aimed his next comment at the tracker sitting in the chair next to Ezra. "Vin will you grab him before the dane fool passes out? Ezra why are ya doing this to yourself, we told ya we want to help you?"

"Thank you for your concern gentlemen, but I truly must insist that it is unnecessary. My appearance only makes you think that some terrible occurrence has befallen my person. When in fact-."

"Ez, Bucklin's right . . . will ya sit down?" The request, which sounded more like an order to Ezra, was joined with a push by the lanky Texan towards the chair he had just vacated. "And it ain't just your appearance that as us worried pard, though that ain't helping ya much right now."

Before the group's eyes it seemed that as their conman fell into the offered chair it was if all his walls fell as well. "I must admit I find myself in need of some assistance. I fear I may lose what little sanity I have left if this game of Mother's is to continue. I ventured to my room with the plan to pack my personal effects and depart this fair town until _Maude_ managed to do so herself."

"So what's the problem Ez? We can help you pack or sneak out to the livery if you would like?"

"That, though I truly appreciate your kind hearted offer Mr. Dunne, is not the problem I find myself unable to solve." As Ezra spoke he seemed to sink lower into his chair, if the action was a result of drink, exhaustion or sorrow his friends could not yet decide.

Knelling down next to his friend Vin sought to catch the southerner's eyes. "Then what's the problem Ez? Maybe me and the boys can help ya out of your . . . predicament." Vin waited for the smile that would always cross the gambler's face when the tracker would parrot his words back at him, he waited but it never came.

It seemed like forever to JD till Ezra looked up at the men gathered in the room, it was a few more minutes till the card sharp answered Vin's question. As the young sheriff watched his southern friend come to terms with something inside himself, JD could almost see the inner battle Ezra. This was when the men in the room realized what one of the man's predicaments was, Ezra had made it clear for most of the time the group had been together, he was not in the habit of trusting other people, because he was rarely trusted by others himself. Now here he was trying to move beyond the well built walls and safe guards in order to let these men that the gambler had come to care about and trust in, help him. Then it happened, though they were whispered quite softly there was no mistaking the words that fell from the conman's lips. "I find I have no where else to go . . ."

"Oh that's an easy one to solve Ezra, we thought you could go stay out at Chris's ranch for a few days. That is if you really wanted to get out of town?"

"Really, Mr. Larabee . . . you would allow me to invade your sanctuary of peace from the town?" The question was asked with such awe it hurt the gunslinger's heart that this man thought so little of himself that it surprised him a friend would truly want to help him. Staring into those deep green eyes Chris couldn't help but see another more youthful set eyes looking up at him for a minute. _Damn, when did Ezra start looking so young?_

"I wouldn't call it invading Ez, not if you're invited. It's not much, ain't got a feather bed like you're use to but you can stay there if ya want till we take care of Maude for ya." _And make sure she stays taken care of._

"I . . . I don't know what to say . . . I-I can't . . ."

"Don't have to say anything hoss, what you need to do is pack some stuff for a few days. How about JD and Nate help you up here while Vin and I go get the horses ready?"

"Horses, Mr. Wilmington?"

"Sure thing, you didn't think we were gonna leave ya out there by yourself now did you?"

"Ya, me and the boys reckoned we could take turns keeping ya company, that way we can all get away from the town for a little while, might be nice to get a little break. That is if you don't mind the company?"

"Shot Ez, we're at least gonna ride out there with you, make sure you get there in one piece."

"Vin and JD are right Ezra you do have a tendency to attract trouble when you go off by yourself."

"I have a tendency Mr. Jackson, I thought that was a requirement for belonging to this group."

"The other rule is that we back each other up, we may not have shown it a lot Ezra, but you are one of us, so we'll be there when you need us." Chris made sure that the conman was looking at him the entire time. "Well, you all heard the plan . . . what are you boys standing around for?"

With that the man split apart to their appointed tasks, with only one of the men giving a second glance at the group's leader. Chris waited for the gambler to find whatever he was looking for, at this point the dark clad gunslinger had to agree with Buck, Ezra had already been pushed to far, and any wrong move at this point could prove fatal in helping their brother. When Chris realized that Ezra was waiting for something either the others to finish moving about or Chris to speak, the group's leader decided to help the conman out.

"Can I help with something Ezra? Do you want me to go talk to Maude for you?"

"What . . . No . . . I was just a bit beside myself Mr. Larabee as to why you are helping me?"

"We're your friends Ez, hell we're almost family the way we look out for each other. Why wouldn't we help you?"

"Mr. Larabee, you misunderstood, I know why Mr. Dunne and Mr. Tanner are assisting with my evacuation of this fair community. What I can not comperend is why the rest of you gentlemen care so much to help . . . I was under the impression that . . . that you despised me and simple accepted me because at times it is nice to have a snake on your side." Ezra spoke the words with such conviction that Chris knew the southerner believed his words were the gods' honest truth.

"Ezra P. Standish we are gonna handle this problem with your mother, and then the seven of us are going to sit down and have a nice long talk about the make-up of our group. Do we have a deal?" Chris waited with his arm out for Ezra to reach forward to shake hands, when the gambler moved to grasp Chris's hand in a simple shake the gunslinger leaned forward to grab the younger man's arm in the warrior shake that he usually reserved for Buck or Vin. At the smile that lit up Ezra's face Chris realized that the meaning of the movement was obviously not lost on him, while Chris had the conman's full attention he felt the need to fix some of the mistakes he had caused already. "And for future notice Standish, I don't tolerate someone I despise simply because they may be of use to me in the future. Understand? Good, now go pack your stuff, I see you boys at the livery." Before the young man could comment on what had been said Chris got up and followed Buck and Vin out into the hallway.

"He really is a piece of work ain't he?" Buck was leading the way down the hall while sending concern glances back at the door the three men had just left.

"You gonna ride out with us, Cowboy?"

"Not tonight, I'm gonna go talk to Inez about making up some stuff for you boys to take with you for breakfast. Josiah and I will ride out sometime tomorrow with some more supplies. I think it's time I had a talk with Maude about our local card sharp." Though Chris Larabee was the last person to ever hit a woman he was beginning to think that maybe there were some women who just called it upon themselves to be the exception to that rule.

"What should we do about Ez? We need to get him talking about whatever is going on, but I don't think I could take causing him any more pain." It was obvious to anyone watching, that Vin was truly worried about his southern friend, but like the rest of the seven he seemed at a loss as to what to do to help.

"Go get the horses ready to go, and let Josiah know the plan. I get you boys some grub and come over with Ezra and the others. I'm sure once we get him away from town-."

"And Maude-."

"Ez will calm down enough to talk about it. If he won't talk about it in detail, maybe he'll at least say enough for us to figure out how to help."

With a nod to each of the departing men, Chris went in search of Inez, who despite her promise to Ezra was most likely already up waiting in the kitchen to hear how things had gone upstairs. _We'll take care of this Ezra, and then I'll make damn sure you know how wrong your mother is about you._


	11. Chapter X

**A/N: **Can you feel the tension building . . . just wait it gets better. Here comes chapter X

Appearances Darlin', are Everything

_Part X_

"Good morning Senora Standish. Can I help you with anything?" Inez had been packing a basket of food for Josiah and Chris to take out to the others when she heard someone enter the saloon. Sticking her head out of the kitchen the Spanish bartender spotted the last person in town that she wanted to deal with right now. _I should have tried to leave sooner, should have known she would come back. _"Senora?"

"Oh, hello my dear, I was wondering if my dear son was up yet?"

Inez could tell that the southern lady was nervous about being in the saloon again so soon after what happened last night. While Maude stood in the center of the saloon waiting for an answer the older woman kept throwing nervous glances over her shoulder at the door. It was like Maude was afraid that if she relaxed someone was going to jump out at her. _Of course, _reflected the bartender, _with the welcoming she has received something just might._

"No, I am sorry, Senor Standish left early this morning on a run for Senor Larabee. Sorry but I am not sure when he will return . . . perhaps Senor Larabee will be able to help you?" Inez wanted to smile at the look of fear that crossed the blonde's face at the thought of facing the gunslinger again. "I am sorry I could not help, now if you will excuse me I am taking some things over to Senora Potter's store."

Maude seemed to be frozen in place, unaware of everything that was going on around her. She simply stood there letting what she had just been told sink in. "Mr. Larabee would know where Ezra is?"

_"_Si Senora, he was the one who sent Senor Standish this morning. Now if you will excuse me?" As Inez said this she walking towards the batwing doors, leading the con-woman along with her. "I believe Senor Larabee will be at the church, he said something about speaking to Senor Sanchez today."

Once on the boardwalk the young Spanish senorita pointed the other woman in the direction of the church, and then headed to Mrs. Potter's store. On the way to the store Inez scanned the town for the black clad gunslinger. _I do hope I can find him to give the Senor this food for the others before that woman upsets him._

**VT VT VT VT VT VT VT**

The only sounds Maude could make out coming from the church was the sound of someone working with a hammer. The southern gentlewoman stopped just inside the doorway, trying to find the source of the sound in the dark building. After searching for several minutes, Maude decided to simply find out who was there the old fashion way.

"Mr. Sanchez . . . Hello . . . Is there anyone here?" Maude, who like Ezra had never really been fond of churches, waited a few more minutes at the door before she ventured further into the room in search of the man who resided in the church.

Passing through the main room of the church it was easy for the con-woman to see the repairs that had been done to the building. There was the new door, some new paint here and there, and what looked like new stained glass windows in the upper story of the building. _I wonder if Ezra has helped with any of this, he speaks so highly of Mr. Sanchez is his letters._

"Mr. Sanchez . . . Mr. Sanchez?" With an irritated sigh Maude sat down in the front row of pews. "What ever did I do to deserve this? All I wanted in my life was to teach my dear boy how to use his god given talents to get the better things in life. And how does he repay me? He throws it all away to play _LAWMAN _in this god forsaken backwater town. How could Ezra do this to me?"

Maude Standish stopped, and waited, she was in a church after all maybe someone was actually listening, maybe someones would give her an answer. Sitting there in the darkened church the southerner waited for an answer . . . a sign . . . for anything that might help but after waiting what seemed like hours Maude decided that no answer was coming, she was, as she always was . . . on her own.

"It was a silly thought anyways . . . like anyone would listen to me. I should go see if the telegraph office is open." With one last glance towards the back of the church Maude left to see if there was an answer to her cry for help, once again leaving the church empty except for the continuous sound of a hammer being used somewhere in the distance.

_It seems right that he's not here, after everything Ezra screamed about last night, I'm sure Josiah wants nothing to do with me. _This thought came with a touch of sadness which shocked the con artist. A year ago she laughed at the idea of the ex-preacher's affections, but now . . . well. _It truly does not matter, not after last night._

**VT VT VT VT VT VT VT**

Chris Larabee waited in the alley besides the church listening to the one sided conversation being held inside. Truth was the gunslinger had planned to talk to Josiah like Inez had mentioned, what she failed to mention was that this comment had been made hours ago, so the two peacekeepers had already held their discussion. Chris had been heading back to the saloon to pick-up some supplies from Inez before he and Josiah headed out to his cabin when he saw Maude enter the saloon.

The peacekeeper had stood outside listening to the exchange just in case the Spanish Senorita needed help, and then had duck out of sight to follow the southern lady over to the church as she searched for Josiah. Chris knew the spiritual man was not there, having just left in him in the livery, but saw no reason to inform Maude of this, thing was right now he was more interested in seeing what she would do when she found no one there then being polite. Did she really want to talk to Ezra? Would she seek Larabee out in order to learn the whereabouts of her son?

_Doubt she misses him that much._

Since the first time they had meet the gunslinger had this feeling that he would not like this woman, and now after hearing her opinion of Ezra's decision to stay in Four Corners he knew that the feeling was right.

_How can she feel that way about her son? Now I see why it took him so long to accept that he has got real friends here, people who care about him._ _Probably the first time anyone has cared for him not for his talents. _As Chris waited for Maude to leave for the telegraph office so he could go in search of Inez, the gunslinger began to think the town's resident gambler. He started to remember the few times any of the Seven had told Ezra that he had 'done good', how the cardsharp would get the same smile on his face that children did when their parents told them they were proud of them. Or how about when Ezra seemed truly shocked that one of the others would show concern for him if he got injured in a fight. The longer Chris thought about it the more he realized the even thought JD was the youngest in the group, with the childhoods that Ezra and Vin had there were times when they seemed younger than the sheriff. _No wonder those three are so close, they have so much in common._

Deciding he had wasted enough time standing outside the church Chris headed down the boardwalk in search of Inez, stopping long enough at the livery to tell Josiah to grab the horses and meet him in front of Mrs. Potter's store . . . oh, and to watch out for Maude.

_I'll tell him what I over heard once we're out of town, the way he feels about Ezra I would hate to see what he would do to Maude right now._

**VT VT VT VT VT VT VT**

"She really did all of that to him? What kind of woman could be that cruel to their only son?" Mary, like the other women in the store, had thought of her own son when Inez had begun to recount the tale of the previous night's events.

Inez knew Ezra would be terribly embarrassed to learn that these women knew the details reviled yesterday about his sordid past, but the saloon manager knew that the gambler had come to mean as much to them as any other member of the Seven, if she wanted their help in her plan then they deserved to know why.

"Poor Mr. Standish, he is never anything but polite to others, and he has done so much for this town. How could he have such a monster for a mother?" Gloria Potter couldn't stop thinking about the times the southern gentleman had helped her around the store (when no one was looking of course), or the way he had with the children in town. _That poor boy deserved a better childhood, and to think we all thought he was raised with the best of everything money could buy simply because of the way he presents himself._

"I agree with Gloria, the fancy dressing fool may come off the wrong wayat the first meeting." Nettie paused to remember her first meeting with the gambler, "but underneath all those fancy clothes and ten dollar words he has a heart of gold same as the other six."

"Aunt Nettie, Ezra's always so nice to his ma, why would she be so mean to him? I mean, he is her only son isn't he?" Casey had set next to Inez through the whole discussion feeling sadder and sadder for her southern friend. Ezra had done so much for the town, and he always treated her like a real lady, even when the others only saw a tom boy. The young woman remembered when the female bounty hunters had come to town, and how Ezra had saved her from making the worst mistake of her life. _I never thanked him for that, well I will now. _"I'll help ya Inez, I owe Ezra and he's a friend."

"No he's not a friend." This statement from the store owner shocked the other women, till they heard the rest of what Gloria Potter had to say. "That boy, all seven of them, are family."

"Mrs. Potter's right, and if I have learned anything since Steven and I moved out here is that family takes care of family."

"Well it sounds like we're all in, what did you have in mind girl?"

"Gracias, you do not know what this will mean to Senor Standish." Inez settled back into her set, and was about to go over her plan when she saw the familiar figure walk in front of the store window. "Good morning Senor Chris, sorry I could not meet you at the saloon."

"Not a problem Inez, Ladies." Chris walked over to take the offered basket from the bartender, and then turned to leave. If he had any notion to what the women had been doing he showed no sign as the gunslinger moved towards the door. "Oh one thing, Mrs. Standish is heading this way. Ladies, have a wonderful afternoon." With a smile, and tip of the hat Chris was loading the supplies up on his horse before any of the women could respond.

Casey followed the gunslinger to the door to wave good bye to Josiah, who was waiting with the horses. As she turned to come back inside she confirmed what Chris had said, Maude was just a few doors down.

"We'll meet at my place tonight, I'll make dinner and we'll talk then. Okay?"

"That's a wonderful idea Mary."

"Si, I will see you ladies tonight.'

"Come on Casey, we have things to take care of before then. Girls, we'll see you later."

"Well, I need to go finish working on the paper."

As one the women of Four Corners left the General Store to head off to their own places of business or residence. All the while they were unaware that their mass exoduses had been observed from down the boardwalk.

**VT VT VT VT VT VT VT**

Maude had exited the telegraph office just in time to see Chris walk into the General Store. Building up her courage, the con-woman had headed towards the store with the intention of finding out where her son was. She stopped dead in her tracks however when she saw him come back out mere moments later carrying the basket of 'supplies' Inez had said she needed to give to Mrs. Potter. As Maude watched Chris and Josiah ride out of town she saw movement out of the corner of her eye in front of the store. As she watched the women of this dust bowl of a town exited the store like a small army, and then split apart to go their separate ways. _Now what was that all about?_

"You just wait, wait three more days and we will see how far this town will go for Ezra."

Clutching the reply to her telegraph like a winning hand in cards, Maude turned to head for the hotel planning on doing just what her answer suggested. With a smile she reread the reply one more time before heading up the stairs to her room.

ROUNDED UP THE BOYS – STOP – ON OUR WAY NOW – STOP – BE THERE IN THREE DAYS – STOP – WAIT FOR US – STOP

_Yes indeed, this game is about to get fun. You'll see my boy, mother truly does know best._

**TBC . . . **

**A/N: **What are the girls up to? What is Chris going to do about this? Will Josiah ever look at Maude the same way again? And who is the telegraph from? Please tune in for the next chapter to fine out. Let me know how you like it so far . . . your reviews are appreciated and loved.


	12. Chapter XI

**A/N: **Sorry this story is taking so long to be told, I hope I'm not losing people along the way. Have you ever started a story that seems so clear in your mind, then the characters decide to take a different path then you wanted half way through? I appreciate everyone that has stuck with me this far, and want to let you know that I truly love the reviews, please keep them coming. Without further ado . . . here is:

Appearances Darlin', are Everything

_Part XI_

"Come on Ez, I'm sure the bed in Chris's cabin would be more to your likin'. I ain't meet anyone who likes a saddle over a bed." Vin knew his friend needed the sleep, but the tracker also knew how proud Ezra could be and was afraid of what the gambler would do if he or Buck tried to carry him inside. However, with as much trouble as they were having waking Standish up Vin was just about to the point of risking it. "I reckon we could just carry Ez in, he left that pea shooter in his room right?"

"No Mr. Tanner I did not forget my '_pea shooter_' at my quarters for some reason Mr. Larabee felt I should relinquish my weapon to his safe keeping before we departed." The gambler had woke up at Vin's first prompting but still being in a mild state of shock from the events at the saloon Ezra had been uncertain how to proceed so he had choose to feign sleep while he decided. Ezra was split in half, and currently his two parts were wagging a war within him unknown to his friends. Half of him wanted to grab Chaucer's reins and flee from everything that had happened the last two days like he would have done to solve previous problems. The other half begged him to stay and let the six men, who had come to mean so much in his life, help him face Maude and put an end to this game once and for all. "Good lord, I'm beginning to sound like mother, I just referred to this whole thing as a _game_."

"Ezra, are you al'right?" Vin was really worried about his friend, with a quick glance at Buck it was obvious the lady's man was sharing his growing concern. The usually clam, collected gambler was not only showing more emotions than usual, but was now talking to himself. _What is that woman doing to ya Ez?_ "How 'bout you come down from there and we'll head inside while ol'Bucklin takes care of the horses?"

Ezra finally looked at his friends and saw the distress he was causing them. _They really do care, it's not just an act with them._ The realization of this was all the gamester needed to put a stop to the internal struggle ragging inside him on what his next course of action should be. "I'm fine Vin, and that sounds like a marvelous plan, if of course Buck does not mind being burdened with the care of our noble steeds?"

"Hell no I don't mind, you boys go on inside, get that ice box Chris calls a cabin warmed up." The mustached gunslinger took the reins of the three horses, waiting till his companions had removed their saddlebags before he started to head the animals towards the coral. When Buck got to the gate he glanced back towards the cabin in time to see Vin take Ezra's saddle bag when it appeared that the gambler was about to collapse. "Chris I don't know what you're planning to do to that woman, but I hope it keeps her away from me and Vin. I don't know about that boy, but I could force myself to finally hit a woman right about now."

With one finally glance to make sure Vin got Ezra inside with no further problems Buck returned to the task of bedding down Lady, Peso and Chaucer for the night. When he had finished up and was heading in Buck couldn't stop the smirk that crossed his face as he remembered Chris's last words to him before the three of them had rode out of town.

_"Don't know who's got the harder job. Me dealing with Maude here in town or you boys with getting that damn fool to talk about whatever it is that's goin' on. Be careful out there. Don't plan on Ezra being much help with watching your backs."_

"Yup, sure hope Chris has some whiskey in that place. Have a feeling we're all gonna need some before the night is over."

VT VT VT VT VT VT VT

"Ah hell Ez, sit down before ya fall down, I can handle getting this place . . . '_habitable_'." The Texan stumbled over the last word but it was worth the embarrassment to see his friend smile at the attempt. "I mean it Ezra, sit down!"

Realizing his defeat the gamester returned the coffee pot he had been attempting to prepare to the table top with the rest of their supplies. With the slow, steady movements Ezra was using Vin could tell he was angry about being unable to help his friend, but was also aware how tired the gambler was to be moving so slowly. When Ezra moved to sit down he bumped the coffee pot he had just filled with grounds on to the floor, along with some of the other supplies.

"Gwad damn it!" With shaking hands the southerner moved to clean up the mess and almost (if not for the quick reflexes of a certain tracker) ended up going head first into the stove as Ezra's knees buckled under him.

"Woo there Ez, how 'bout we get you into that warm bed over there?" Vin half carried, half dragged the weakened peacekeeper across the room, all the while watching for Buck through the window. _Be right nice if he decided to get in here soon._

"Really Mr. T-Tanner I'm fine. I-I see no reason for s-such concern, I merely knocked over the coffee pot-." Ezra was beginning to re-think his decision to stay, if his poker face slipped anymore these men would have so much to use against him. "Enough of that Ezra, these men are nothing like mother, I could never see them sinking so low."

That was enough, Vin was convinced something was terribly wrong with the gambler, now he had the proof. Reaching the bed Tanner lowered his burden down far enough on the bed to remove Ezra's jacket, boots, vest, and guns (those were left close enough to be of use if the gambler needed to reach for them), then when the Texan was sure the gamester was settled he tucked Ezra in while he started talking.

"Now you are gonna go to sleep, Buck and I will let ya sleep as late as ya want tomorrow mornin'." When Ezra made a move to talk he was silenced by a raised hand from the tracker. "When ya wake up . . . of your own '_accord_' . . . we are gonna get some chow in you-." Again the hand rose to stop the beginning interruption. "Then iffen ya feel up to it you can explain what's goin' on with you and your ma, what just happened in the saloon and iffen ya want it . . . which we hope ya would . . . how me and the rest of the boys can help."

"Mr. Tanner-," when no staling hand was raised Ezra choose to rush on through his thought before his companion changed his mind about allowing the gambler to talk. "Vin, I assure you there is nothing wrong. Mother simply had the unfortunate luck of visiting our fair hamlet on a week when I find myself suffering from one of my cases of insomnia. I assure you once I get a little sleep things will appear much clearer and-."

"Ezra don't try talkin' yer way out of this, like it or not we're friends-."

"I like it."

"And . . ." The Texan had to pause at the whispered confession. "I like that we're friends too Ez, which is why I want ya to listen for a minute. Can ya do that, just listen without interrupting?"

Twice now in the last three days Vin watched as this man he now called brother fought with his inner demons in order to trust the tracker enough to ask for or accept his help. Those green eyes which so often appeared a blank slate now revealed every emotion that past through Ezra's mind. Just as Vin watched the fear showing in those green pools fade a little Ezra nodded that he could full fill the Texan's request.

"Good. We've been friends long enough now that I know your _cases of insomnia _only trouble ya when things get to slow around here for that active mind of yers, or-." Vin could tell that Ezra was about to interrupt, which despite the conman's promise Vin could not picture his friend remaining quiet for too long and had actually expected.

"Which it has been, I mean except for Mr. Wilmington and my trip to deliver those miscreants to justice the most exciting story anyone has to tell is that a portion of the boardwalk needs to be repaired after the fair Miss Wells miscalculated the room needed to turn her wagon." The gambler knew he had promised to let Vin finish but he knew where this was going and deep down Ezra P. Standish knew he was not ready to go down that road yet. _Please let it go! Please just let me go to sleep and plan to talk tomorrow._

"Ezra . . . why won't ya just tell us what she wants? Tell us how we can help? I know ya ain't had a lot of people in your life that ya've been able ta trust, but I was startin' to think ya had six more names on your list now."

"Vin-."

"I know she's your ma, but Ez . . . Hell, DON'T YA DESERVE TO BE HAPPY!" Vin hadn't meant to get mad, before he could apologize though Ezra answered the screamed question. It was answered not by the grown man Tanner saw sitting before him, but by the lost, scared little boy that lived inside this man that the others were beginning to see through the cracks in the gambler's perfect mask. It was an answer the tracker had a feeling the cardsharp had heard to many times in his life at some point to be able to believe anything else could be true, or it had been told to him by someone who he could not believe would lie or be wrong about such a thing.

Sensing that they were not alone Vin turned to see Buck standing in the doorway holding more firewood from the outside pile. One look at the older man's face told Vin that he had arrived in time to hear what the card sharp had said. Knowing that he could not let the conversation end like this Vin turned to knock some sense into the hard headed southern fool.

"Ezra, ya know that-."

"Let him sleep junior, we'll make that boy see reason in the morning when he's more in control of his emotions." Buck had seen Ezra lay down with his back to the room when Vin had turned to look towards the door. Known that the tracker was probably right about talking to Standish tonight he still felt the need to give the man and themselves time to consider what had been said and what to do about it. Buck had seen Ezra's face before he had turned to lay down, he had seen the pain in those emerald eyes. Ezra had gone too far, and new it, now the gambler needed to figure out how to deal with everything that had been said tonight.

"Good night Ezra."

"Good night gentlemen."

"Night, Ez."

Waiting to make sure the gambler really was asleep Vin motioned for Buck to follow him outside. The tracker wasn't sure if his sudden need to get outside was due to the stress of the day finally catching up with him or the fact that the room suddenly felt three times smaller than before he had heard Ezra's hear breaking answer. Vin knew two things for certain, one he needed to get outside now, and two he and Buck had to plan what to do next. Having not seen the pain in Ezra's expression the tracker had no idea why Wilmington had let the issue go, and needed to know why.

Now however, standing on the cabin's porch looking up at the stars the ex-bounty hunter realized he truly had no idea what to do next, and was glade that the lady's man had let the conversation drop for now. He was getting frustrated with his inability to help his friend, if Ezra would just tell them what was wrong, tell them what to do. "Damn it if the fool would just trust us!"

"Come on Vin, ya know trusting people is hard for him. If I remember right he wasn't the only one in our little group with that problem in the beginning." With this comment Vin saw the corners of Buck's mouth go up in the hint of a smile.

Yeah, the older peacekeeper was right, it had taken them all quite a while to really learn to trust each other. Years of watching one's own back against everything did that to a man, and with all of them (with the exception of JD) knowing there were still people from their past lives out there gunning for them, having six other sets of eyes to help with the job had seemed like a blessing. A blessing Vin would admit they had all paid a small price for in the time the Seven had protected Four Corners and its citizens for Judge Travis, but one they would all certainly pay again if given the chance. With Ezra though it seemed like he was still having problems with the situation, not with trusting the other six to watch his back, but with believing they actually wanted the job, believing that there were people who truly cared about his safety. Vin now wondered if after hearing what the smooth talking conman had just let slip would he and the other be able to gain a little insight to why that was.

"How could he believe that's his fate Buck? Who could have told him that so much it was the natural answer to give?"

"I don't know Vin, I mean . . . I know Maude's not the picture of a perfect mother, but up till Four Corners they had lived the same style of life so I can't believe she would spout off stuff like that." Buck could see the pain and confusion in Vin's eyes, and he had a feeling the tracker could see the same in his. How could they call themselves Ezra's friends when they hadn't seen this? "Why not take your own advice? We'll get ourselves some shut eye and see what Chris found out when the boys come out tomorrow."

"Think we should tell Chris what Ezra said?"

Buck had to pause at this, he knew it wasn't fair to the other peacekeepers to not keep them informed of all the facts, but he also did not want to be the one to repeat the hurtful things. They also had to take Ezra's feeling into consideration, the gambler was so private and so much of his life was already on display, what would the fall out do to him if the others knew what he had said. Since Vin had asked Buck's opinion the older peacekeeper could only assume the Texan wasn't looking forward to that conversation either, for several of the same reasons most likely. Buck knew some things escaped his attention since he was not the most observant member of this group, but he had noticed the friendship that had formed between these two unlikely men. It was clear how hard this was on the tracker, being unable to help their friend. "We'll wait, see what the others learned, and go from there on what to tell them."

"Well, alright . . . if you think so, I'm gonna go put some more firewood on the stove and turn in. Night Buck."

"Good night junior. Think I'll stay up for a bit, keep an eye on things."

Vin nodded in understanding before heading inside, he knew as well as Buck that neither man would get much sleep tonight. Helping a friend deal with an annoying parent was one thing, helping him work through demons like the ones Ezra obviously carried with him was starting to look like a harder job than they had originally thought it would be. _How do ya help someone who thinks that about themselves? Who would've told him that so much he believes it?_

Stopping just inside the cabin door Vin looked once more at the form of his sleeping comrade. There were so many things the gambler had done over their time together as lawmen to help others, most of the time at his own risk, that the tracker could not see how the gambler could still feel that way about himself. The man had done so much good in Four Corners; the other six lawmen knew there was more to the southerner than you saw at the first glance, why couldn't Ezra see that about himself?

"Ya'll see Ez, when we settle this thing with yer ma, we'll maker sure ya know that won't be yer fate. We'll make ya see the Ezra Standish we all know is in there." Knowing he was talking to himself did not make Vin talk with any less conviction in his voice. _Yes sir, me and the boys will fix this. I'll never hear those words from yer mouth again._

The tracker was sure he would never forget those words either, spoken in that soft, broken southern drawl, sounding more like a five year old boy than a grown man. _Never again Ezra, I promise never again._

"_Souls as stained as mine never deserve happiness Vin, ah am resolved to the fact that ah am to be committed to my own personal hell for whatever is left of my pathetic existence for the sins of my past."_

VT VT VT VT VT VT VT

Even though he had given the appearance of being asleep Ezra knew he would not be visiting the land of Morpheus anytime soon. This meant the gambler was awake to overhear the entire conversation between his fellow peacekeepers. Instead of easing the emotions and turmoil that Ezra had surging through his thoughts, the compassionate words of his friends only added new depths and layers to the problems. In the past when his mother tried this kind of thing it was easy to solve . . . pack his carpet bag, change his name, and move on. Now however he had done what Maude had taught him to avoid, what he had seen as a rule to run his life by except . . . once before . . . and well that had ended . . no, after that he had vowed to go back to his rules . . . NEVER get attached, NEVER form bonds, NEVER make friends. In this town he knew several people whom he was found of, people like Inez whom he called friends. Not to mention the six fiercely loyal men whom he (though he would never say it to their faces) called brothers.

When Maude had rode into town this time Ezra was taken by surprise usually there was a letter heralding her arrival, but before he could follow through with his traditional course of action he watched as these people he had promised to protect threw themselves into the act of protecting him from a threat that was still nameless to them, simply out of friendship. The instant they had seen their gambler falter in his usual controlled persuade, they had stepped in to help, no questions asked, no prices set for their services, they were simply people helping a friend in need.

Now the cardsharp found himself at a crossroads: should he follow his childhood training and leave Four Corners behind before any of these wonderful people got hurt trying to help him, or stay to finally face Maude with the support of this strange family he now found himself a part of. Staying would mean finally letting these people see past his poker face, it would mean reviling more about his past to them, the past that he had worked so hard to keep from their view. Could he do that? Could Ezra P. Standish bring himself to trust others with his secrets? Could he allow these people to see what all of the fancy words and flashy clothing covered?

_"Damn it if the fool would just trust us!"_

_Oh Vin I do trust you, it's what you may end up thinking about me that keeps me from seeking your assistance. _How could he make them see the whole situation without losing their respect? Every word of the conversation going on outside echoed in his head. How could these men want to aide him in his troubles so strongly? When had he come to mean so much to them and the citizens of Four Corners that they thought nothing of helping him like this? When had they come to mean so much to him that he couldn't just pack up and leave town like he had done for so long in his life?

Ezra felt terrible that he had let those words slip from his mouth, that his lack of control now added to the pain his friends were feeling. He had come to think his time in this fair town had helped finally close the door to that part of his life. However, when Vin had been able to pull that response from him with so little prompting the gambler realized how far from being free of that man he truly was.

_Ezra stop! Going down that path right now will not help._

Buck and Vin were right, they would all do better with some sleep, especially if the other two decided to tell Chris what had been said. Ezra sighed at that thought, the gunfighter was hard to deal with on a good day if Chris really did talk to Maude before heading out tomorrow he would be impossible. No, it was probably a good idea to get some rest; he would truly need it if he was to survive whatever tomorrow brings.

_". . . We'll make sure ya know that won't be yer fate. We'll make ya see the Ezra Standish we all know is in there."_

Ezra wasn't sure how the tracker planned to go about that, but he hoped he got to stay around long enough to find out. That after all was said and done Vin still felt that way, and saw him as something worth that much concern. Ezra would miss this town and its people if he had to leave, but he would find a way to cope. The gambler was sure though, that if he had to give up the bonds he had formed with the other six peacekeepers he would never be able to move beyond that pain.

TBC . . .

VT VT VT VT VT VT VT

**A/N: **Please review . . . what do you think? Is it still worth the wait?


	13. Chapter XII

**A/N: **Hello, Hello! I'm incredible sorry that it has taken so long to update this (RL is often a downer), but I will endeavor to keep that from happening again. I do hope you enjoy the next couple of chapters and apologize now that some of them are so short.

Appearances Darlin', are Everything

_Part XII_

"She's a monster! To think that sweet young man could be related to that woman?" Gloria Potter was enraged; she had spent the day trying to get the image of what the town's gambler's childhood must have been like out of her head. "That explains why he tries to stay at a distance from all of us, anytime that poor boy has tried to get close that woman ruins it. I'm shocked that Mr. Larabee and the others have gotten as close to him as they have."

"They haven't really. If you talk to Senior Tanner it's all a show. It looks like he's as close as the other's but if you are in the group it is obvious that he is the outsider." Inez responded from where she was sitting in Mary's kitchen. They had long finished dinner and were now trying to plan how they would help Ezra, while enjoying one of Miss Nettie's pies with coffee. "I believe the only true friends that Senior Standish feels he has are Vin, JD and Chaucer-."

"The author?," Mary replied quickly, she knew that the con man enjoyed reading but to count an author as a friend seemed odd, even for one of the seven.

"No, sorry I forgot that not many know. Chaucer is what he named his horse. I believe the senior considers the remainder of the seven his … associates?" Inez paused before using the word she had heard the gambler use many times around the saloon. When she received nods from the women in the kitchen that they understood what she was saying she continued. "This is probably why he is so worried about what his mother has planned; he thinks the people of this town see him as just someone they work with, someone who they can replace. He does not think any of us will stand with him, or up for him."

As the Mexican bartender continued talking they began having difficulty hearing her, it was almost as if she was afraid of how they would react to what she was saying. Looking around the faces in the room Inez saw a mixture of expressions of shock and guilt. One face though had her surprised when she realized that the look it held meant that she was not the only one who knew this about the card sharp.

"You knew this already, did you not Seniora?"

Every eye in the kitchen turned in the direction of the elderly ranch owner. Before she started talking she was nodding her head yes to the question.

"When them boys came out yesterday to help out around my place I got Fancy Man to talk for a little bit. He was too slippery for me to find out what that woman has planned, what I did find out was that she has done this to him once before." Nettie took a few sips of her coffee, letting it register with the others what those words meant. When she saw signs that the women of Four Corners were on the same page as her she continued. "Yes indeed, it seems that our smooth talking con man once called a small town in Tennessee home, his mother felt he was wasting his life there and turned the town against him. The folks he called his friends and family quickly changed their tune after a few well placed words by Maude."

"That is terrible! To think a woman could be so selfish to continue to ruin her son's life to full fill her needs. We need to find some way to keep that from happening here."

"You don't believe that could, do you Mrs. Potter? I mean Ezra's so nice to everyone, how could anyone in town want to run him out?" Casey had been sitting silently next to Inez during the whole discussion but at the thought that people would turn on her friend she had to speak up. When no one answered the question immediately she began to worry for the southern gentleman. Seeing that no one knew how to answer the news editor in Mary decided to take over.

"Casey … it's not a matter of what Mr. Standish has done since he came to town, it will matter on what he did prior to joining the Seven."

"But everyone's done something they're not proud of … look at what people say about Chris?"

"Casey darling, that's different."

"Why Aunt Nettie? Just 'cause Chris talks about his past and Ezra doesn't?"

"No Casey, see-."

"No, she may have something there." All sound and movement stopped at Mrs. Potter's statement. "Think about it Mary, when Mr. Larabee first came to town you printed that article about him. Everyone knew who and what he was, after he and the others helped out Judge Travis and stayed on to protect the town people decided that he was turning over a new leaf, trying to atone for everything he's done."

"Still Gloria, I don't see what this has to do with Mr. Standish."

"That's simple; you never printed anything like that about him. To everyone in town he is still the unknown factor. Who of those boys would strike you as having a spotted past?"

"Chris and Ezra," Nettie answered for the others, she could see where the shop owner was taking this. "But out of those two we know next to nothing about Ezra. As far as anyone in town is concerned this is just another con for him. That boy has made no sign of wanting to settle here or letting people in … why should any of the town stand with him against his mother?"

"So what shall we do to help? I don't think printing an article about him right now would be the best idea."

"No that would not help, the senior is too private of a man. But perhaps there is something we could do to help. We know the senior, and the town listens to your opinions if you were to start showing your support for him, speak up when you hear something being said about him?" Inez knew this would not be much but each little bit would no doubt help.

"That may help a little Inez, but will he still feel like he can trust us to stand with him?"

"I do not know Casey, but starting right now we do everything we can to make the senior see that we do." Inez wasn't sure what she and the others would do but she swore right there to ensure that if it was in her power it would be done. Ezra had suffered his mother alone for too long. It was time that woman learned he did not need her anymore, if he ever did.

"I'm with Inez, it may not be enough but WE need to make that boy see he has a home now and that no mother of his can ruin it for him."

"Alright then, so we all agree tomorrow we start making the southern fool see we need him around as much as the other six. Lord knows the others would pull up and leave right after him."

"Nettie's right, I don't know what kind of bond those men have, but if we can't convince Mr. Standish to stay and fight for what he has here we will most likely lose them all." Mary had known from the begin of their thirty day there was something that brought those seven together beyond her step-father. It was the only way to explain why a group of such different personalities could work together so well so quickly. "We start tomorrow, agreed?"

"Yes."

"Definitely."

"Yep."

"Si, tomorrow we show that woman and Senior Standish just what he means to the people of this town."

"And we make the idiots of this town see that boy for who he really is."

With their packed now made the ladies of the newly formed Protect Ezra Standish Society finished their pie and coffee before helping Mary clean up her kitchen and head to their homes. Each one planning how to make Ezra see his worth and their responses next time they heard someone bad mouth the gambler.

**A/N: **So what did you think? How could the girls help get their gambler to stay? I almost feel sorry for Maude … almost. Please review.


	14. Chapter XIII

Appearances Darlin', are Everything

_Part XIII_

At a camp two days ride away from the town of Four Corners a group of five travelers, four men and a young woman, was bedding down for the night. The obvious leader of the group had taken first watch, not that they were being followed, but in their line of business it was best to be prepared. Sitting by the fire he reread the telegram he had received in Idaho that had spurred this rushed trip to the side of Maude Standish.

Tennessee repeating- STOP- Ace gone from sleeve- STOP- Royal flush needed to win hand- STOP-

_So our boy thinks he's found himself a real home uh, knew I should have went with Maude when he got the idea to buy that saloon._

Folding up the telegram he placed it back in his saddle bag. It was common knowledge that con artists usually ran by themselves, maybe in pairs like most thought Maude and Ezra had. Sitting by the fire Frank Hugo (as he was currently known) stared out over the members of his group … his cards had they'd come to be known. Frank had spent the last ten years assembling what he referred to as his deck, a group of talented gamblers who lived for the thrill of the game and the pots at the end. A strong partner in his group was his on and off love, his Queen of Diamonds. Maude was smart, resourceful and entertaining when he needed to be distracted, but the thing that made her the valuable partner that she'd become was her son, his Ace of Spades, Ezra. Frank had only meet one other man as skilled with cards as his Ace and the boy had truly lived up to his father's place in the gambling world.

"Yes we've been down this road before haven't we son. After everything your mother and I have done for you after we lost your father, do you think I would give you up without a fight? I would think that Tennessee would have taught you your lesson."

_Two days Ezra … two days and I'll have my ace back up my sleeve._

**A/N: **Sorry it's so short, the muses are only working with me on and off right now, so I have to take what I can get. Please let me know what you think. I will try to update soon.


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